Calmless
by Dlbn
Summary: Twenty-seven years after Ritsu's crew battled to take over Septimal Moon, Kunugi Asitai reminisces on the events leading up to that victory while he visits a very special patient. *Warning, minor spoilers for Careless, nothing too important. details inside*
1. Seasons Greetings

Dlbn: I'm back with a multi-chapter Christmas fic!

Nbld: The theme is not Christmas, but it's a fic we wrote specifically for Christmas time. You know, touchy feely crap and such.

Dlbn: Shut up. Anyway throughout this there will be some spoilers as far as our fic "Careless" goes, but it's nothing too major that would ruin the ending. Only the status of Septimal Moon members and their Fighters will be revealed here, I made sure of that, and we all pretty much know that most of them aren't around.

Nbld: We'll post in the author notes of each chapter if parts of Careless will be spoiled. But it will be minor details only.

Dlbn: Happy reading! This also means that I will be getting back to Careless soon. Now that the semester is almost over I'll have more time to write and more energy to draw inspiration.

Disclaimer: I do not own Loveless or any canon characters (such as Ritsu, Nana, Nagisa, etc.). I however do own their Fighters, certain members that aren't canon yet, and certain personalities of characters such as Aoyagi Aidien and Kunugi Asitai. All canon pieces belong to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category.

000

" _This is your Fighter. Shenai Mirai. He's two years younger than you." Principal Minami Shigeru informed ten-year-old Kunugi Asitai. "Play nice, now."_

 _The door to the Principal's office slammed shut. Asitai blinked at the younger brunette sitting on the stool in front of him. An eight-year-old seemed just a little out of place at the Academy, considering all of Asitai's companions at school were either his age or older. He wasn't even aware an eight-year-old_ could _attend the Academy. Bright blue eyes blinked at the redhead in confusion, as if he didn't know what to say to him. Asitai felt his fire-red neko ears twitch and perk up._

" _Hey there." He greeted, grinning. "I'm Asitai."_

" _Mirai." The brunette stood and bowed. "Nice to meet you."_

 _Though he was two years younger they were about the same height when standing. Asitai felt a little short now._

" _You too." Asitai repeated the action. "So you go to school here? You're a little young."_

" _I skipped a grade." Mirai flushed pink._

 _Asitai felt something tug at his heart. This boy was his Fighter. His destined other half. And he was pretty cute when eh blushed. Asitai shook off the feeling._

" _Well, congratulations." He grinned. "So you're a first year here?"_

 _Mirai nodded. "You'd be a second year, right?"_

 _Asitai nodded. "Indeed, I am."_

 _Mirai smiled a little. "Sorry, I'm not exactly certain what to talk about."_

" _Yeah, neither am I. Which is new for me. I'm normally a talker." Asitai laughed._

 _Mirai's smile grew a little and he laughed as well. "Lucky me, since I'm not."_

Asitai was awoken from his slumber by the sound of his assistant slamming a pile of paperwork onto his desk. The doctor startled and ran a hair through his fire-red hair. His assistant had her fist clenched and resting on her left hip as she stared at the awakening Doctor. He grinned sheepishly up at her.

"Morning." He greeted.

"Morning?" She snorted. "It's six at night, Doctor. Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

"I'm fine." Asitai ran a hand down his face. "Just took a little breather."

"You were snoring, and the wet spot on that paper you were laying on tells me you were drooling."

Asitai looked down and nervously laughed as he brushed at the wet patch on the paper.

"I guess I _have_ been working late the past few days…"

"Everyone else went home around five."

"Oh…so not so long ago." Asitai smiled. "Good."

She rolled her eyes. "Either way, you're not going to be of any use to anyone tomorrow if you're half asleep because you didn't know when to go home."

"I know. I just…"

"You can work more tomorrow. Maybe you should go visit your favorite patient in 405 and then go home, hm?"

That patient was none other this his Fighter and boyfriend, Shenai Mirai.

"Yeah…maybe I should…do that…" Asitai stood. "Alright." He slammed a fist into his open palm. "I'll go see how he's doing, run some vitals, and then head on home."

"That's the spirit." She grinned. "Until tomorrow, Doctor."

"Yeah, tomorrow." He nodded.

Hanging up his lab coat on the back of the door, Asitai switched into his leather jacket before leaving the office.

The few nurses he passed expressed their surprise at seeing him and bid him goodnight as he made his way to the elevators. Almost robotically, he pressed the button to all the elevator, stepped in once it arrived and opened, and pressed the button for the fourth floor. He leaned against the back wall of the elevator, hands gripping the railing to steady himself as he closed his eyes. He really hated this part. Seeing his beloved attached to tubes and monitors while he stood by helplessly, unable to do anything other than monitor him and study up on ways to try and bring him out of his coma. The fact that it was spell induced and could probably only be reversed by a spell or the caster dying-the caster had already died, so there went _that_ idea-weighed heavy on him as he researched the normal ways to do what he needed. There were a few surgeries he could try, but he didn't want to risk compromising the younger Fighter's already ailing health. He hadn't gotten sick since he'd been in an isolation chamber since he got there. When Asitai was sick and couldn't go in, he'd stand at the window; watching desperately for any sign of life. There never was any.

" _Kicked out!? What do you mean_ kicked out _?!" An outraged Asitai slammed his fourteen-year-old hands on the headmaster's desk in front of him._

 _Mirai stood behind him, hands clasped behind his back, remaining silent as the two Sacrifices argued it out._

" _School policy." Principal Minami informed calmly. "Losing seventy percent of your battles within a school year is grounds for expulsion. I let you two slide a little bit, but now that you have an eighty percent loss rate, there's nothing more I can do to keep you here." He folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "You'll both have until the end of the week to pack your stuff and inform your families that you will be leaving."_

" _You can't be_ serious _." Asitai growled. "So we're having an off year. Big deal! Since we were paired, we've had a ninety percent success rate!"_

" _Which has gone down significantly due to this year. I don't know what the issue is, but it's clear you're slacking here in your studies."_

" _We study just as hard as the rest of the units here, and practice almost twice as much!" Asitai wasn't going to let this go without a fight. "Just give us until the end of the semester to recover."_

 _The Principal shook his head. "Shenai, you understand, do you not?"_

" _Yes, sir…" Mirai muttered. "Sorry, Tai…"_

" _Rai, you can't possibly_ agree _with him!"_

 _Asitai turned on his heel, more surprised at his Fighter then angry. He'd never been able to get_ angry _at Mirai. He wondered why that was._

" _Its policy…Septimal Moon adheres very strictly to their policies." Mirai swallowed an almost visible lump in his twelve-year-old throat._

" _Indeed we do." The Principal nodded. "I'm glad you understand. Kunugi, please, take your Fighter and vacate my office. You may want to start packing. The end of the week will be here before you know it." He unfolded his hands to grab some papers and tap them on the desk to even them out. "We'll be in contact."_

 _Asitai huffed. "You'll be sorry." He threatened, looking over his shoulder at the Principal. "We'll get stronger and prove to you that you made a mistake in kicking us out so early."_

 _The Principal nodded. "If you say so, son. I won't argue any further. Please vacate my office."_

 _Asitai growled and stormed off, grabbing Mirai by the left wrist and whisking him out of the office. He kicked the door shut with an annoyed grunt._

" _I'm sorry." Mirai muttered, embarrassed. "I shouldn't have agreed with him, but…"_

" _It's okay." Asitai sighed. "I would have too if I were in your position." He jammed his hands into his pockets letting go of his Fighter. "Come on, let's go."_

 _Mirai shrugged and followed his Sacrifice down the empty halls._

" _Tai?"_

" _Hai, Rai?" He giggled at how it rhymed, making Mirai smile a little._

" _What do we do now?"_

" _We pack and tell our parents to come get us. Weren't you listening?"_

" _That's not what I meant…"_

 _Asitai paused in the hall. "I…don't know…"_

" _We'll be separated…I don't…I don't want to…"_

" _I don't either." Asitai hugged his Fighter. "But we'll have to deal with whatever happens to us."_

 _Mirai froze in his embrace for a moment before hugging him. His Sacrifice was always pretty touchy-feely, so he shouldn't have been surprised._

" _I guess…"_

" _Besides, we're destined for one another. They can't keep us apart forever." He winked at his Fighter._

 _Mirai laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Tai."_

 _Asitai cleared his throat and let go of the younger male. "So, yeah, we'll be alright."_

" _Yeah, I know we will be." Mirai nodded._

 _Asitai started down the hall, but Mirai grabbed his wrist to stop him. Their dorm rooms weren't near one another, and he didn't want to separate already._

" _What is it?"_

" _Can I help you? I don't…I don't want to be alone just yet…"_

 _Asitai nodded. "Sure."_

" _Um…Tai…?"_

" _Hai, Rai?"_

 _Mirai sighed and pulled the slightly taller Sacrifice to him._

" _Mirai…?" Confusion danced in Asitai's eyes._

" _I'm sorry."_

" _Don't tell me you think that getting kicked out is your fault because we're a unit and…"_

" _I don't think that." Mirai cleared his throat, that adorable little blush covering his features again._

" _Then what are you sorry for?"_

" _Um…this…"_

 _Mirai put a hand on the back of his Sacrifice's neck and pulled him down. Asitai flushed as his eyes widened. Mirai's lips gently pressed against his own. The stunned Sacrifice slowly relaxed into the other male. Mirai pulled away, blushing bright red._

" _I…um…s-sorry…Asitai…" Mirai muttered._

 _He pulled form his Sacrifice and darted off towards his own dorm room. Asitai stood in the hall staring after him with his fingertips gracing his lower lip the bell rang after the brunette vanished around the corner. Beside himself and ignoring the looks from the other students, Asitai smiled._

Asitai grinned as he relieved the memory of his-their-first kiss. Who would have ever guessed that only a few years later they'd be a couple, not just a unit? The elevator doors opened and he stepped out onto the fourth floor. This was the walk he dreaded most. The trip down the hallway, turning right into a corridor, and walking towards the ICU. He'd have to dress in a protective sheet to make sure any germs on him didn't get into his lover's room. He would have to wear that anti-containment helmet on his head that looked even stupider on a person than it did hanging on a wall. But he never wore it. After all, whenever Mirai awoke, he didn't want to scare the poor guy. He'd always been a little fragile, back at the academy. Though he certainly didn't show that side of him to anyone other than Asitai when they'd be alone in their dorms studying together or playing video games.

Asitai took a deep breath as he slipped on the yellow protective sheet and a pair of sterile gloves. This was dreadful, having to see his Mirai in this condition. But he wasn't going to let it frighten him away. He knew it was a longshot that he'd ever wake up from his spell-induced coma, but a man could dream, couldn't he? He worked nonstop around the clock to try and wake him up, even studying hard enough to become a top neurosurgeon. While he had other cases to work on, almost all of his free time was spent on trying to find a way to awaken his Fighter. Nagisa always told him he was a fool, Gomon told him to give up, and Ritsu called him a hopeless idiot. But this was his fighter, his best friend, the love of his life. There was no way he was just going to give up and let them pull the plug. So when he stopped coming to Septimal Moon meetings, the others only half understood. The newest member, a twelve-year-old named Ritsuka-son of Aidien, a former member of their team. He'd never been a part of Septimal Mon, but he'd help taken down the generation of Septimal Moon before this one, led by Ritsu's father-was the only one who seemed to understand, or at least try to. After all, he had lost his Fighter Soubi a while ago; a man who he was in love with, as he had admitted to Asitai in a hushed whisper once. Soubi wasn't _dead_ , just had run off with Ritsuka's brother; former Septimal Moon member Seimei. That whole thing was a mess.

Asitai slipped his card into the card reader by the door. It beeped and blinked green as the double doors ominously opened into the ward.


	2. Departure

Dlbn: Back with another longer chapter. Need to make the chapters longer if I want to finish updating on Christmas Day. Expect another chapter maybe Saturday and one Monday.

Nbld: No reviews so no Review Corner.

Disclaimer: I do not own Loveless or any canon characters (such as Ritsu, Nana, Nagisa, etc.). I however do own their Fighters, certain members that aren't canon yet, and certain personalities of characters such as Aoyagi Aidien and Kunugi Asitai. All canon pieces belong to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category.

Spoiler Warning: Nothing major. Just some scenes set during the time of Careless that you won't see there.

000

" _Mirai, wait!"_

 _Asitai grabbed the wrist of his younger Fighter just before he reached the Seven Voices Academy lobby._

" _Tai, my parents are waiting, and they're not happy with me as it is…" Mirai muttered. "I don't have time."_

" _Make time." Asitai urged. "We have to talk."_

" _About what?"_

" _What happened the other day…when we got kicked out…?"_

" _You mean when I embarrassed the shit out of myself by kissing you…?" Mirai flushed. "I'd rather try to forget about that, master, if you don't mind."_

" _Well I'm not set on forgetting." Asitai frowned, spinning the boy by his wrist to face him._

 _Mirai kept his eyes trained on the ground._

" _Would you look at me, please? I can't let you walk out that door without talking to you about this."_

" _MY parents aren't happy, Tai, if I keep them waiting…"_

" _This won't take long."_

" _Can't I just call you tonight?"_

" _No, it has to be in person, and I don't know how far apart we're going to be."_

" _Fine. Make it quick…"_

" _I know you think I was upset or bothered by it or whatever, but I promise you, I'm not."_

 _Mirai looked up. "You're…not…?" He wondered, confused. "But…but why…?"_

 _Asitai pulled him close until Mirai had no choice but to drop his remaining bags and press his hands against the elder male's chest._

"… _Tai…?" He wondered._

 _Asitai smiled gently, flushing deeply. "I love you, Shenai Mirai…" He pressed his lips gently to the younger's._

 _Mirai's hands flew up to his collar and pulled him into a deeper kiss. They parted a few moments later, though neither really wanted to._

" _You…" Mirai flushed. "I…I love you, too…"_

 _Asitai kissed him again, this time with a little strength behind him. His hands slid up Mirai's back under his denim jacket and cotton tee. Mirai's fingers gently gripped at his Sacrifice's hair at the nape of his neck. They separated and pressed their foreheads together._

" _I'll call you later, okay?" Asitai wondered._

" _Hai, that's fine. Just give me time to get through unpacking and lecturing."_

" _Same." Asitai chuckled, kissing the younger's temple. "I love you."_

" _I love you, too."_

 _Asitai picked up one of Mirai's bags. "I'll help you out."_

 _Mirai nodded. "Thanks…" He grabbed the other suitcase._

 _This was the moment he dreaded since they were kicked out of the Academy. The walk through the doors and out into the real world. Asitai held the door open for his Fighter, arm trembling slightly. Mirai noticed and brushed his fingers against his Sacrifice's arm as he left._

 _Outside, the blinding light overtook them. Mirai's parents and little sister were out front with the car. His sister was in the back playing with dolls while his mother sat in the front seat with the door open, fanning herself with a map. His father was leaning against the trunk of the car._

" _About time." His father muttered. "Who's this…?"_

" _This is Kunugi Asitai." Mirai replied. "My friend."_

 _He took the other suitcase from his boyfriend and tossed them both into the open car trunk._

" _A pleasure, Shenai-sama." Asitai bowed slightly. "I regret the circumstances that have led to us meeting."_

 _Mirai flushed._

" _Yeah." His father nodded. "Nice to meet you, too. Say goodbye, Mirai. We're leaving."_

 _His father slammed the trunk closed with one hand before going to the driver's side. His mother smiled gently at Asitai._

" _It's nice to know our little Mirai had friends here. We were worried about him." She giggled, turning to get her legs in the car and shutting the door._

" _Mother…" Mirai groaned._

 _Asitai chuckled, pulling the shorter male into a hug. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Don't forget about me while you're gone."_

" _I couldn't forget you." Mirai flushed. "Even if I tried. You're like a parasite. Borrowed into my memory."_

" _Hey, now." Asitai chuckled as his Fighter hugged him back._

" _Sukidayo…" Mirai muttered, so his family wouldn't head._

" _Sukidayo." Asitai whispered back._

 _It took a few more minutes for Mirai's father to honk the horn and shout out the window for Mirai to hurry up._

" _Impatient." Asitai chuckled. "So much unlike ourselves."_

" _You can say that again." Mirai opened the back door on the driver's side and slipped in. "I'll talk to you later."_

" _Goodbye." Asitai swallowed the lump in his throat._

" _Goodbye." Mirai muttered, as if he didn't want to say it._

 _Asitai shut the door and tapped the top of the car to let Mirai's father know he could leave. With a honk of the car horn, Asitai watched his Fighter, the love of his life, drive off into the distance. Mirai leaned out the window to wave, before being yelled at very audibly by his father to get back in. Asitai raced down the hill and hopped on the edge of the little wall that surrounded the driveway to the Academy. He waved until the white town car was nothing more than a dot in traffic on the highways out of town. He heard a shout from the front of the Academy to come back due to the night lockup, and rushed back. Stepping back into the building that gave and took away someone very dear to him all in the span of two years, the weight overtook him and he collapsed onto a couch in the lobby, head between his knees and sobbing._

000

Asitai shook of the memories as he entered Mirai's room. That had been the second worse day of his life. They'd been able to meet up again since Asitai was living with his divorced aunt after getting expelled. His father was in prison for some weapon's charge, and his mother had run off after dumping him at that wretched school. The worst day of his life occurred when he and Mirai faced the Fighter that did _this_ to his lover. Scratching where his left neko ear used to be, Asitai sighed. Beeping monitors and the annoying thrum-hiss of the breathing machine connected to the tube in Mirai's throat were becoming overwhelming. Forgetting his earlier idea of checking vitals for the brunette, Asitai sat down on a metal chair next to the comatose man's bed. His once short light brown hair was not long, dangling past his shoulders with more split ends then Asitai could or cared to count. He ran his glove covered hand through the soft locks, which needed to be washed again sometime soon. He'd do it himself, but it was normally the nurses' job to bathe patients. Plus, he wasn't sure he could hold himself back if he had to see the man naked again after all these years. Knowing it was wrong to even think of doing something to his lover, he couldn't help it. They hadn't had sex often-only twice, in fact-but it was something he wasn't going to be forgetting anytime soon. Was it wrong to have those thoughts while this man lay here unconscious, not a single limb or muscle moving within his body? Yes, of course it was. There was no excusing it, though Asitai could come up with a million different reasons if he wanted. A CAT scan done a week ago showed no increase in neural activity, which he had expected. There were pills and medicines they could inject into his IV to reach his blood stream, but thus far none of them had even registered a blip on the CAT scans. Considering that it was a spell that landed him in this position, there wasn't much research. Nagisa had tried while creating the Zero series in their prototype phase, before Yamato and Koya-the eldest successes-were even a thing, but she hadn't gotten far. They know the kinds of effects spells could have on a person, but this was something else entirely. There were no records of such spells in the Septimal Moons records office, and no books in the school library either. He had expected that. Most of what the old Septimal Moon knew was in their minds and in their minds only. Even on torture or promise of death, they wouldn't give it up to save themselves; or anyone else for that matter. They were a rather selfish group of Sacrifices, for people who were governing a world full of mostly asleep children, awoken units, and old fools that had either retired or lived on in secrecy.

It wasn't like he could just use Google or the library's books and periodicals to simply search 'how to undo the effects of a coma-inducing spell'. The librarians would simply laugh him away, and Google would give him some crap that he didn't really care to bother sifting through for any kind of clue.

 _000_

 _Asitai groaned as he was awoken late one night by furious pounding on the door and incessant ringing of the doorbell to his apartment. Now eighteen and in his senior year of high school, he'd convinced his aunt to let him get his own apartment and support himself so he'd no longer be a financial burden on her. The poor old bat had six kids of her own-and three grandchildren, as one of her daughters was married and another had a child as a teenager and didn't stop at one-plus herself to deal with. Her husband was gone and didn't do a dam thing to help with the kids. Having him was just an extra mouth to feed. She'd been reluctant but accepted and let him go anyway. He was doing fine on his own, for now, anyway._

 _He tossed the covers off himself and trudged out of his bedroom. The apartment doorbell kept ringing._

" _I'm coming, I'm coming!" He yelled, hoping he didn't wake the neighbors, if the other noises hadn't already done so. "Someone better be dying! It's three AM!"_

 _The doorbell stopped when he unlocked the door and pulled it open._

" _What's the big…Mirai…?" He wondered._

 _The sixteen-year-old Fighter was standing in the hallway that Asitai's place was connected to. The poor thing was drenched, ears pressed flat to his skull from the rain, and normally rather bushy tail thin and long as it wrapped around his drenched pant leg. His white shirt was plastered to his skin as water dripped from his bangs into his eyes, making Asitai's mouth run dry._

" _Rai?" He asked again. "Why are you here? Are you okay? You look like hell…"_

" _Can I come in?" The younger's teeth were chattering, and he was rubbing his arms form the cold. "I've been walking so long…I'm tired…and cold…"_

" _Sure, of course."_

 _Asitai grabbed his boyfriend's suitcase off the ground outside the door and ushered him in. when he finished locking the door and turned, Mirai was stripped down to just jeans and boxers. His discarded dripping green jacket was hanging on the coat rack, and his white shirt and socks were on the floor in a heap on top of his shoes. He was still rubbing his arms from the cold. Asitai dropped his bag and scooped him into a hug before he could react._

" _Rai, what's wrong?" He wondered. "Why are you here at three AM?"_

" _I got into a fight with my parents…dad gave me an hour to get my stuff and get out…I've been hopping between hotels, trying to find one I can afford." He shook his head, spraying some water as he did so. "I can't find anything…so I came here…"_

" _Why didn't you come here first?" Asitai wondered. "You know you're welcome to stay here whenever you need to…"_

 _Mirai shook his head again. "I don't' want to be a burden, Tai…"_

" _You're not a burden." Asitai smoothed down his hair, noting how his ears perked once his hand was out of the way. "Don't ever think that. Let's get you dried and into some clean clothes before we talk anymore. I'll do your laundry in the morning. You can wear some of my pajamas for the night, alright?"_

" _I brought clothes…they're mostly clean…"_

" _Did you grab pajamas?"_

" _I barely had time to grab my school stuff, shoes, clothes, and a few other personal items before I left. An hour seems like a lot of time, but it really isn't."_

" _That's what you get from having a messy room." Asitai teased, kissing him on the nose. "Come on, before you get sick."_

 _Mirai nodded and followed him to his bedroom. Asitai went into his closet and pulled out some fuzzy pajama bottoms and a dark grey shirt._

" _Here, change into these. I won't look." He turned, flushing wildly._

 _He heard Mirai's zipper slide open and then the soaked denim fall to the floor, boxers silently following. He took a deep breath to compose himself before Mirai cleared his throat for him to turn around._

" _I'm done…"_

 _Asitai looked. His boyfriend looked absolutely adorable in his clothes, which were a little too baggy for him but too small in the legs, considering he was thinner and about a head taller. Mirai adjusted his belt line so the pants were almost falling off to cover his ankles. Asitai handed him some slipper socks and he slid them on, one foot at a time._

" _I'll make tea." He stated. "Feel free to turn up the heat or snuggle under the covers."_

" _I can't sleep…"_

" _I didn't say sleep. I just want you to get warm. You'll get frostbite if you stay cold too long."_

" _So?"_

" _You can die from that…?"_

" _At this point, I'd rather be dead…" Mirai muttered._

 _Asitai's ears perked up and twitched angrily as the hair on his thin tail stood on end._

" _Don't you ever say that." He snapped. "Never again, that's an order."_

 _Mirai flinched and stepped back as if his Sacrifice had hit him. Something more must have happened to him than he was willing to speak about. Asitai sighed._

" _Gomennasai, I really am, babe…" He pulled Mirai close by the wrist and snuggled against his now dry chest. "I just…I just almost lost you once getting kicked out of that hell hole and separated. It's a fluke we were able to stay so close together like this…I just don't want to lose you again…the thought kills me…"_

 _Mirai wrapped his arms around the redhead's waist. "I'm sorry…I don't mean it…" He muttered against contrastingly dry hair. "I've just had a miserable day…"_

 _Asitai looked up and pecked him on the lips. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have been with you…"_

" _No…you don't…" Mirai replied. "And I wouldn't have wanted you to be…you would've been hurt."_

" _Rai…what happened…?"_

" _I don't know…" He sat down on the edge of his bed. "Someone saw us the other day…"_

" _O-Oh…?"_

" _Yeah, and blabbed to my homophobic father…"_

 _Asitai flushed, sitting next to the wounded teen. "I take it that didn't end well…"_

" _If it did, I wouldn't be here…" Mirai smiled gently. "He said I'm a disgrace to the family…that it's disgusting…god I can't even repeat the things he said to me…" He pulled Asitai close. "And my mother…just stood there and listened…I can't believe it…the child they raised…thrown out of the house, of the_ family _, because they don't approve of his lifestyle…two more years…just two more years and I would have been able to get out of there and deal with them finding out later…but now…"_

" _All that secrecy ending in flames." Asitai muttered, nuzzling the taller teen's chin. "I'm so sorry, Mirai…"_

 _He shrugged. "I knew it couldn't last forever…I just wish they'd been more receptive…"_

" _I agree…so what are you going to do now?"_

" _Do I have to think about it now? It's been a long day…I've been at this since around seven…"_

" _I wish you had just come here…"_

" _I know how you'd react if you saw me the way I was at the time…" Mirai sighed. "You don't exactly think rationally sometimes where I'm concerned."_

" _I know." Asitai grinned. "But hey, Calmless is our_ name _. I'm meant to overreact to everything."_

 _Mirai grinned back. "That's why I love you." He muttered, kissing him full on the lips. "You know just how to make everything better…"_

" _I love you, too." Asitai muttered, kissing him back. "You can stay here as long as you need, okay?"_

" _Thanks…"_

" _You're welcome."_

000

Little did he know at the time that Mirai would never leave his apartment. Even as they joined up with Ritsu and his ragtag team of losers, up until the day Mirai landed in his coma, he never left. It was both a blessing and a curse, and Asitai had half a mind to find his parents and rip them a new one, but then they'd ask to see their son, and he knew they'd make him pull the plug. And he couldn't do that, not after all this hard work, and not with how much he loved his boyfriend. His parents lost the right to know anything about him or control anything concerning him the night they threw him out. Asitai was slightly grateful that they had, because it gave them more time together, but he still hated that they did it. His parents would have been accepting, and his aunt did know now that he was gay and didn't care as long as he was happy and safe about it, so he couldn't understand how Mirai's parents couldn't. Over time Mirai had come out to him about the things his father had called him and said to him. They were all out of line, and if the patriarch of the Shenai family ever ran into Asitai, he'd be screwed over a thousand times. Mirai had been so broken that night…

Asitai leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his temple, resting his forehead on the younger's as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the closeness they were sharing. He pulled off a glove and took Mirai's left hand in his.

"I miss you so much…" Asitai muttered. "I've been thinking about us a lot lately…do you know what day today is, Rai?"

Silence from the body underneath his answered him.

"We met…thirty-five years ago today…" He sighed gently. "It's been thirty-five years since I first laid eyes on you…my Fighter…"

Silence reigned in the room, the only exceptions being the annoying machines. Asitai leaned down and pressed a kiss to Mirai's top lip.

"If only true love's kiss could wake up this sleeping prince…" He chuckled. "But this isn't a fairytale, my love…it's a nightmare…one we can't escape from…you've been here far too long…oh, how I wish you could wake up…" He trailed his hand down Mirai's face. "So I could see those pools of blue again…feel your lips on mine…sleep with you again…" He chuckled. "How sick of me…talking about sex while my other half is lying in a coma at my side…but then again, I suppose neither of us have always been right in the head. After all, we agreed to help Minami and his crew…if we hadn't…then perhaps I'd still have you with me…I shouldn't have talked you into it…you wouldn't be here if I hadn't…if you had just flat out refused me…" Tears threatened to fall, so he stopped him with a gloved hand and wiped it on his yellow gown. "I swear to you, Mirai, when you wake up…I promise I'll marry you…you hear me…? When you wake up, I'll make you my fiancé…and when you're better…my husband…" He sighed. "If only…"

Mirai's heart monitor beeped as Asitai slid back down into the chair at the side of the bed.

Why? Why, of all the teams working together with them and Minami, had this had to happen to them? Nagisa's Fighter had died in a car crash years before they met, so she didn't count. Only three Fighters had survived without injury, but Iyani had died in a car accident thirteen years ago. He supposed he did have it better than most people. Mirai wasn't _dead_ , and he hadn't run off with some guy Asitai couldn't stand, he was just in another plane right now…that's all this was. He was on a vacation, and he'd come back…the last living Sacrifice of the second Septimal Moon. Seimei's living Fighters-his true Fighter Nisei and the blank Fighter Ritsu had given him, Iyani's son Soubi-, and Mikado's Fighter Tokino didn't count, as they weren't part of the group that overthrew the old Septimal Moon. They were the third generation, Ritsuka being the fourth without a Fighter. The running theory as his had been killed by Seimei to fake his death. Soubi had served Ritsuka, but left him the moment Seimei ordered it.

God, no matter who was in it, Septimal Moon left death and destruction in their wake wherever they went. All these poor teenagers roped into something bigger than themselves and far too large for them to comprehend or control, and they were supposed to just accept it? Minami had attempted to stop the cycle, but so far, it seemed it was still ongoing with the Aoyagi brothers and Mikado.

Asitai lay his head down on the bed next to Mirai as the monitors and machines in the room did their dances.

"Kunugi Mirai…Shenai Asitai…not certain which I like more…you're the wordsmith, Rai…what do you think…?"


	3. Hospital Blues

Dlbn: Okay, everyone, so chapter two was MEANT to have been posted days ago. I uploaded the chapter BUT forgot to actually update the fic, since I was swarmed by finals and overwhelmed.

Nbld: So this chapter was meant for today and I figured I'd still post it. Two chapters in one day isn't TOO bad right?

Dlbn: There's another one scheduled for tomorrow or I'd just hold this off until then.

Nbld: Mostly because we've got a lot to cover before Christmas Day when this is meant to be finished (and another Christmas fic posted), and a whole new one for Ritsuka's birthday tomorrow (the 21st) as well.

Dlbn: Should have started posting this sooner.

Nbld: Your fault. Anyway, since there's no Review Corner this chapter, we'll just get started.

000

 _Heated touches and desperate kisses had begun being exchanged a little over an hour ago. A little over an hour ago they were still virgins, still retained their juvenile neko ears and tails. But now, as their bodies untangled and they melded together with sleep encasing their minds, Asitai and Mirai snuggled together under the blankets, in the darkness where no one could see them. This was it, their last night as an inactive unit. Tomorrow, they'd meet up with Minami and the others at the train station in Tokyo. Tomorrow they'd get their assignments as they traveled their eight and a half hours to Gora to deal with Septimal Moon. Tomorrow they'd take down the organization that was meant to govern their lives, but tore it all apart with two words; "you're expelled". Tomorrow, they'd become killers. The hours were moving too quickly and the next day was rapidly approaching, even as the lovers snuggled together with the clock next to them blinking and reminding them that they had about four hours for it to still be today; for them to still be innocent and have their hands clean of blood. If they were to go out tomorrow, they were to go into tomorrow with a bang tonight. Neither would have believed that at ages eighteen and sixteen, they'd be recruited into the biggest uprising their generation had seen. Sure, other revolutionists had tried to take down Septimal moon and failed, but they'd give it their best shot. If they won, not only would they take over their entire world and rule it better than the current Septimal Moon did, but they'd go down in_ history _; the first uprising against the second Septimal Moon to win and overthrow it. This current Septimal moon had done the same to the last under the leadership of Minami's father…ironic how history was about to repeat itself._

" _It's almost over…" Asitai muttered into Mirai's chest. "Only a few more hours and we'll be in Gora…fighting for our lives…"_

" _Try not to think about it. I know that seems impossible, since it's the biggest day of our lives…but try not to, alright?" Mirai ran his fingers through shoulder length red hair._

" _I guess…" Asitai sighed. "I'm just nervous, I guess…"_

" _I am, too." Mirai admitted. "Hey, tell you what? I'll give you something to look forward to once we win. So you can keep your mind on that, alright?"_

" _Oh…? What is it…?"_

" _When we survive these battles and overthrow Septimal Moon…"_

" _Hai…?"_

 _Mirai pulled him close. "I'll put a ring on that finger of yours." He whispered against the redhead's pale lips._

" _Mph!" Asitai tried to reply, but his words were stolen by his boyfriend's lips._

 _They parted._

" _You…you can't be serious…"_

" _I am." Mirai ran his fingers through fire red locks. "I love you, Tai, and I'm more than willing to spend my life with you. And don't give me that whole 'sixteen, life ahead of you' nonsense speech, 'cause I know you'd say yes."_

" _Of course I would…once you're_ legal _…" Asitai muttered. "I could go to jail for this, you know." He pointed to his lack of ears._

" _I'm aware." Mirai stated. "And I'd hate to think what they'd do to you in prison…I'm not sure you'd survive."_

" _Oh…?"_

" _Mm. Pretty sure you'd be quite irresistible."_

" _I'm irresistible to you, clearly." Asitai pointed out._

" _True." Mirai muttered. "But with all those guys there, I'd hate to think you'd never be able to walk again…"_

" _I just hope I'm able to walk tomorrow…" Asitai smirked. "Should have done this last night…"_

 _Mirai laughed, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Kunugi Asitai, you're one of a kind, you know that?"_

" _Good. I'd hate to see what two of me could do to the world."_

" _I'd hate to see what two of you could do to_ me _." Mirai replied. "I don't think I'd survive…"_

" _Hentai." Asitai complained, pressing a gentle kiss to soft pink lips._

" _Hey, you're the bottom." Mirai muttered. "I can only imagine having to please two of you like that."_

 _Asitai flipped himself onto his Fighter, holding himself up by his arms. He tucked some stray hair behind his left ear._

" _It would kind of be like pleasing me twice in one night…" Asitai kissed down the younger's neck. "Would you like to see if you can handle it…?"_

 _Mirai smirked, craning his neck to give the redhead more access to his flesh. He placed a gentle, yet firm swat on the redhead's rear, making him yelp._

" _Don't mind if I do."_

000

Asitai smiled. That night had been one of the best in his lifetime, just alongside meeting Mirai for the first time, the moment he first told Mirai he loved him, and their first kiss.

He wondered if Mirai remembered any of it. Maybe when he'd wake up, he'd have no idea who Asitai was, let alone all the wondrous moments they spent together. He shuddered to think that like Ritsuka had easily lost ten years' worth of memory, Mirai could easily lose almost thirty. He liked to think the brunette was having dreams of him, dreams of them, while he was out. Oh, what he'd give to be inside Mirai's mind and see what his mind saw, heard what his dreams told him… Asitai ran his fingers through Mirai's hair. He might as well do his vitals so the secretary that woke him up wouldn't tease him for slacking off tomorrow.

He grabbed a blood pressure cuff from the wall and attached it to Mirai's arm. Putting a stethoscope just outside the cuff, he inflated it. He went through the motions as he noted on the clipboard near the foot of Mirai's bed the numbers that said he wasn't improving not worsening in his condition. It was good news, but bad at the same time. Asitai grabbed his wrist and placed two fingers where his pulse was. Normally he felt a dull, barely registering thrum under the skin. What he felt now was a thick, harsh pounding against his fingers. He blinked in confusion, making sure his thumb wasn't in the way, and tried again. The same response greeted him. But that was impossible. His blood pressure hadn't changed, staying in a comfortable range, but his pulse was quickening. Was he having a reaction to Asitai's touch that he hadn't to the cold feeling of the medical equipment?

Asitai trailed his eyes down to his lover's limp fingers.

"Mirai…?" He wondered. "Baby…can you hear me…?" He ran a hand through the brown hair again. "If you can hear me…give me a sign…"

He got no response.

"Figures…" He muttered.

The heart monitor beeped and extra beep this round.

"Rai…?" He was surprised.

What was happening? Was he okay? Should he call for a crash cart? Hastily Asitai grabbed the stethoscope and listened to the thumping of the blue eyed man's heart through the flimsy blue hospital gown he wore. His fingers found the blood pressure cuff and he slipped it back onto Mirai's arm that he still held, putting the stethoscope back and inflating the band. He checked the chart once it had deflated and noted his blood pressure was rising steadily. This was unheard of! It had been twenty-seven years since anything about Mirai's condition had changed, and the last change had been when his sixteen-year-old eyes slipped closed for the last time. Why now? Why today? The machine connected to the breathing tube sped up slightly. His basic doctoral instincts flew out the coop as he ignored the urge to press a nurse call button. Nothing necessarily _bad_ was happening, but this meant that Mirai's condition was improving. That had _never_ happened before. Not after the doctors of this hospital had stabilized him twenty-seven years ago.

000

" _Please, I need help!" Eighteen-year-old Asitai called into an almost empty ER waiting room. "He's not waking up! Please!_

 _One nurse behind the counter flew through the door and tried to assist while the other called a doctor before joining. Three more nurses and two doctors rushed out into the Gora General Hospital's waiting room. A female doctor gently pried Asitai off his fallen boyfriend as they put him on a wheeled table and moved him into the ER._

" _Son, calm down." She ordered gently. "You can't help your friend like this."_

" _How do you expect me to_ calm down _?" Asitai hissed through gritted teeth. "He isn't moving. He isn't talking, he isn't even_ looking _at anything…!"_

" _I understand this must be hard to see him like this, but I need some information about him."_

" _Shenai Mirai, age sixteen, April 5_ _th_ _, 1959, blue eyes, brown hair, normally talkative and full of energy, not half dead!" Asitai prattled off. "What more do you want to know?"_

" _Does he have any allergies? Take any medications?"_

" _No and no."_

" _Blood type?"_

" _A positive, I'm pretty certain."_

" _We can check that later on." She nodded. "Any medical history?"_

" _He had a cold when he was nine, the flu twice, and a sinus infection last spring." Asitai stated. "If you mean anything major like cancer, then no. he's mostly pretty healthy, other than minor episodes of illness."_

" _Any history of fainting or seizures?_

" _None that I know of."_

" _Any idea how this happened?"_

" _We were taking a hike and I don't know, he just collapsed without warning."_

 _He left out the part about spell battles. She'd never believe that._

" _He's got a few scrapes and a cut from falling, but other than that, he's fine. I don't know if he hit his head or if he was out before he hit the ground. I was looking at a couple butterflies I found, I wasn't really watching him…I should have been watching him…" Asitai put his head in his hands, yanking on the bright red locks. "God damn it; I should have kept a better eye on him! I could've caught him before he fell…"_

" _Son, this isn't your fault. What's your name, hon?"_

" _Kunugi. Kunugi Asitai. I'm eighteen, blood type O positive."_

" _Okay, Kunugi-kun…"_

" _Asitai, please. I'm in no mood for formalities."_

" _Alright, Asitai. How can I contact his family?"_

" _He doesn't have any. They disowned him." Asitai looked down. "I'm the most you're gonna get. We've known each other since we were kids."_

 _Her lips pressed into a tight frown. "Where was he living?"_

" _With me in Tokyo."_

" _Tokyo? You're eight hours from home, son…"_

" _We came up to check out the hot springs…" Asitai stated. "I didn't think taking a hike would have…"_

" _It's alright. We can't control everything. We're not spell casters, you know."_

" _You have no idea." He deadpanned._

 _She smiled gently. "If he needs any blood work done or transplants of any kind, would you be willing to supply?"_

" _What kind of a question is that? Of course I am! Test me whenever you need. Whatever you need to do, just help him…please…my parents died when I was little…he's all I have left…please…"_

" _We'll do the best we can." She rubbed his back gently. "Don't worry, he's in good hands. Why don't you have a seat and we'll call you in when we know more and you can see him."_

" _I can't sit…"_

" _You have to try to rest and relax, Asitai." She informed. "You're not going to be able to help us with anything we need to know if you're all worked up."_

 _He sighed, collapsing into the nearest chair. "I guess you're right…"_

" _I'll go check on him. You want a drink or something to eat?"_

" _No…I'm too nauseous…"_

 _She nodded, leaving him alone. The few people in the room spared him sympathetic glances but didn't bother with him. That was fine; he didn't want to talk to anyone. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number he'd dialed a thousand times before._

" _Asitai?" Ritsu's voice greeted him. "What's wrong? What's going on? Are you alright?"_

" _I'm at Gora General Hospital…" Asitai muttered into the phone, trying to keep his voice level and hold the tears back. "It's Rai…he's not good…he's out cold…I can't wake him up…" Asitai got up and walked into the hall. There he sat on a bench against the wall and curled up against it, arms wrapped around his knees._

" _What happened?" Ritsu wondered. "Are you alright?"_

" _My boyfriend is unconscious and not waking up, what do you think!?" He hissed._

" _I mean physically."_

" _I'm fine physically. A couple cute from the fight, but that's it. I didn't tell doctors that part. I told them he just collapsed." He spoke in hushed tones so anyone in the area wouldn't hear him. "I don't know what to do…Ritsu…he doesn't look good."_

" _He's a Fighter, no pun intended. He'll be fine."_

" _I hope you're right…"_

" _I know I am." Ritsu spoke with confidence._

" _Have you heard from the others?"_

" _Aidien contacted me. Kofai didn't make it. He's devastated. Gomon went to his hotel room to check on him, but I haven't heard a word from either of them since."_

" _Damn…and you and Iyani…?"_

" _We're okay, just exhausted."_

" _Did you win?"_

" _Hai. You…?"_

" _It doesn't feel like I did, not with him in there like that…" Asitai shuddered. "But yes…"_

" _Well done…"_

" _A hollow victory…" Asitai muttered. "I had to tell that doctor about his family…how they abandoned him…I feel so disgusted…"_

" _I don't think it would do any good to contact them anyway. Then we'd have to explain why we're in Gora."_

" _Hai…Ritsu…?"_

" _Hai?"_

" _I'm scared Ritsu, I'm terrified…what if he doesn't wake up? What do I do?" Tears slowly slipped from his eyes. "I don't have any family either. I've got my aunt but I can't burden her anymore…I'll be alone…I can't lose him…God, I don't know why I'm even here…they can't help him…"_

" _What exactly happened?"_

" _Mirai cast a death spell…a powerful one…" He swallowed. "She had minutes left…but she cast a spell of her own before she died…something about eternal sleep…I thought it was a death spell…the way he collapsed…his eyes rolled back and his eyelids slid shut as I held him…god damn, Ritsu…what if he died in my arms? What if that's the last time I ever fight alongside him again? What if I never get to hold him and kiss him and tell him I love him ever again…? I can't lose him…I just can't…"_

" _Tai? It's Iyani." Iyani stated, after he heard her wrestle the phone from Ritsu. "I know it's not in your nature, but try and calm down."_

" _I'm trying…the doctor said I can't help if I'm so excited…"_

" _And she's right. You've got to be strong for him, okay? He needs you, understand me?"_

" _I'm trying…"_

" _Good."_

" _Iyani…I…I know how important what we're doing is, and I get you're probably tracking down Ritsu's father…but…I don't…I don't want to be alone…can one of you…can one of you come sit with me…?"_

 _Silence greeted him._

" _We'll be right there." Iyani stated._

" _T-thank you…ER waiting room."_

" _Hai. See you soon."_

" _Hai…"_

 _The phone slipped from his hand to his lap as they both hung up. Gathering himself, Asitai slipped it into his jeans pocket and looked for a water fountain and a vending machine. He splashed cold water onto his face and bought a soda from the machine. Gulping down the fizzy green Mountain Dew, he realized just how thirsty he was. He made his way back to the room and sat down. There he sat with his hands in his lap and his chin touching his chest for about an hour._

" _Tai!" Iyani's voice greeted._

 _She ran into the waiting room, Nana, Nagisa, and Ritsu at her heels. She sat next to him and hugged him._

" _Are you okay? Any news?"_

 _Asitai sadly shook his head. "No one's come out to talk to me yet…"_

" _He'll be fine." Nagisa stated, sitting on his other side. "Rai loves you. He won't just give up so easily."_

" _I…I know…"_

 _Ritsu knelt down in front of him, Nana going around back of the chair to hug him as well. Ritsu put a hand on his knee._

" _Have you eaten or drank anything?"_

" _I had this to drink." Asitai held up his almost empty soda. "But no food."_

" _I'll go get you something to eat in the cafeteria."_

" _I'll go, too." Iyani stated, standing. "I can't leave you alone for a second with all this going on."_

" _Tai needs you more."_

" _Its fine, go you guys." Asitai gave him a small smile. "I've got Nana and Nagisa. I'll be okay."_

" _Well…alright. Call us if they come out before we get back."_

" _I doubt it." Nagisa muttered as Ritsu and Iyani left hand in hand._

" _Since when?" Asitai nodded towards them._

" _They've always been rather close." Nana stated. "I'm not surprised."_

" _Where's Katashi…? He made it, didn't he…?"_

 _Nana's lips pressed into a line. "No…" She muttered. "I held his hand as he died…"_

" _Nana, I'm so sorry…" Asitai hugged her. "I'm being such an idiot. I didn't even think to ask how you guys are…wait, why didn't Ritsu mention it to me?"_

" _He probably didn't know. I was on my way back to the hotel when I found these three leaving."_

" _We've got no word from Gomon_ or _Kaido." Nagisa added. "I'm almost certain they're going to be okay, but I don't know. Gomon and his fighter managed, but they haven't contacted anyone since they went to find Aidien."_

 _Nana's cell rang. "Excuse me." She stated, standing and answering. "Gomon? How's Aoyagi?" She wondered, leaving the room._

 _Nagisa gently hugged Asitai. "I'm so sorry…"_

 _He smiled gently. "Thank you, Nagisa…"_

 _The others came back one by one, Nana last._

" _Aoyagi's fine. He's depressed and wouldn't leave his room, but he's not dead." She informed. "Dayless is dragging him here now with them."_

" _I heard from Kaido. They're a little banged up, but they're alright." Ritsu gave him the sandwich he'd bought him._

 _Asitai quickly tore off the saran wrap and took a bite. Hospital food was disgusting, no doubt, but it was better than the nothing that was in his stomach all day. He'd been too nervous all day to eat anything._

" _No word on Mirai yet…" Nagisa stated. "I think they're still working on him."_

" _You're going to have to make the decision." Ritsu pointed out._

" _Huh?"_

" _He has you, Asitai, not his family. You're going to have to make medical decisions for him. Can you do that?"_

 _Asitai nodded gently. "I think I can…I said I'd give blood and organs and whatever else he could need…they have to test me, though."_

" _They probably won't unless it's absolutely necessary." Nana adjusted her glasses._

" _What are we going to do with the others?"_

" _My family has a mausoleum." Ritsu stated. "We'll let them rest there until everything settled and we can do proper burials."_

" _I just hope we won't have to add Mirai to the list of upcoming services…"_

000

Terrible memories flew through Asitai's mind as he waited for something from Mirai. Something, _anything_ to tell him that he was alright. This was just as bad as waiting in that damned hospital room for almost five hours before a doctor would speak to him again, albeit reluctantly since they weren't blood related. Only instead of waiting for news of whether his boyfriend was alive or dead, he was waiting to see a sign of life.

The door beeped and his secretary slipped in, wearing the yellow gown and blue gloves. She didn't bother with the helmet either. They stood there in silence, not saying a word to one another.

"His vitals have changed." Asitai said at last, finally finding his voice.

"Oh?" She wondered, grabbing the chart. "An improvement."

He nodded.

"Dr. Kunugi?"

"Please, just call me Asitai…we're not on the clock…there are no patients or grieving families here…"

"Asitai…why such an interest in this patient? He was here long before you started working here."

"I've been coming to see Shenai Mirai two or three days every week since I was eighteen years old. Twenty-seven years I've sat by this bedside, waiting for some sign of life, some sign of improvement. Twenty-seven years his blood pressure and pulse have been the same…dull…weak… I've been working here fourteen years…and you're the first person to ever ask me this. You've been my secretary in this department for a little over a decade…and you're just now asking me why I do so?"

She nodded. "With all due respect, he's not even your patient…we've all been wondering…"

"All?"

"Nurses, doctors, secretaries, on calls…hell even a janitor or two…" She replied. "What makes this man so special? He has no family…no one ever comes to see him…just you…"

"His parents kicked him out of their home, their _family_ , because they found out he's not into women…"

"That's no reason to…"

"His father is a major homophobe, and a major ass at that. God help him when I get ahold of the bastard…"

"You know one another…"

"Mirai…he's my boyfriend…we've been together since we were teenagers…he moved into my apartment after his bastard of a father called him every name, every slur in the book, and gave him an hour to get his stuff and leave. He had to leave behind important things…we've had to sneak into the home when his parents were at work to retrieve what we could and get out…it's been just the two of us since we met in our first school…I was ten, he was eight…"

"Your ears…?"

"To each other…the day before this happened to him…" Asitai laughed. "Listen to me, rambling like a dementia ridden old man…and to you of all people."

"Ouch, _that_ stings." She muttered.

He smirked. "You know what I mean…" He sighed. "Today's the anniversary of the day we met…thirty-five years ago…"

"You were just kids."

"I was ten, he was eight. There's two years between us." He sighed. "And today, I saw signs of life…his vitals changed, for God's sake, they _changed_. But now nothing…"

"One little change isn't going to suddenly turn into him waking up. I understand you've been waiting for this for years, and you're eager for him to wake up…but…" She paused. "Wait you said he's your boyfriend?"

"So?"

"You mean in the twenty-seven years since this happened, you haven't moved on?"

"I'll never move on." He growled. "I could never find it in myself to leave him…if he ever woke up, what would I do? 'Oh, Rai, you're awake! Damn this is awkward, I've been sleeping with someone _else_ for the last decade and I can't just up and leave them for _you_ …'? Yeah, that's going to work."

"You're so certain he's going to wake up."

"You have to make decisions in life. Someone close to me once told me that." _Ritsu_. "Mirai will wake up, and I will be here when he opens his eyes. That's it."

"You have strong convictions."

"Nothing is certain in this world. I'd like my convictions to be."

She handed him a flashlight from the table. "Did you check?"

He flushed.

"No…"

He'd forgotten all about that in his excitement.

Gently opening his left eye, he flashed the dull illumination into his lover's crystal blue eye. He knew what he'd see; a dull veil of sleep over his eyes that didn't react to the light.

"Doctor…" She informed.

Asitai followed her finger to Mirai's right eye. It twitched slightly as the heart monitor sped up a bit.

"Rai…?" He wondered, dropping the flashlight carelessly to the bed. "Rai, can you hear me?!"

He didn't know what he expected to see, but a gentle rise of Mirai's chest wasn't it.

"I don't…I don't believe it…" She rushed and pressed the call button.

Mirai's doctor and a couple nurses rushed in, donning the proper equipment outside.

"What is it?" She wondered. "We didn't get a crash warning."

"He's not crashing." Asitai stated. "Get the breathing tube out. He's trying on his own."

"With all due respect, Asitai, he can't…"

"She saw it. Just watch for a minute, alright?"

Every eye in the room fell upon Mirai's chest until it gently rose and deflated twice as fast.

"Holy mother of God…" Doctor Yue muttered. "You heard Kunugi, get the tube out."

The nurses rushed around and moved Asitai and his secretary to the door as they worked. Kunugi refused to budge, placing his feet firmly on the ground and folding his arms over his chest. While he respected and trusted Yue as a doctor, he still wanted to be there when that tube came out. In the room, not on the other side of some bulletproof containment glass. He'd have to wash up and decontaminate himself again before re-entering, and that was a very time consuming option.

Yue and the nurses moved out of the way. Mirai's chest gently rise and fell as he sucked in his first self-made breath in twenty-seven years.

"Kunugi what the hell did you do? He showed no signs of waking up until you came along…"

"I just talked to him, I swear. I wouldn't hurt him. Ever." Kunugi shook his head. "How dare you insinuate that I did anything?"

"With all due respect, Doctor, this is quite odd. He was completely comatose for twenty-seven years. Then you sit here and talk to him and he can suddenly breathe on his own?"

"With all due respect, Yue, respect is the last thing you're showing me right now."

Asitai gently touched his chest as all eyes slipped back to Mirai. His fingers gripped and gently tugged at the thin piano-wire like substance around him. It was the bond he shared with Mirai as a Unit. Only Units and awakened members of Units could see them. He watched as the normally dead thread slowly lit up as it went towards Mirai's chest, where it connected. Most Units were connected from the arm or head or waist, but his and Mirai's were in their hearts. It was rare, but it showed just how much the two loved one another. Once the bond was completely lit up as it wound its way around Mirai, Asitai almost collapsed and cried out in joy. Their bond had been dead for years. It had only lit up to a certain point when he touched it before. But now that Mirai was breathing on his own, it was in full glow all over again. A few speckles of blood dotted it, reminding him of how Mirai had ended up in this situation. While the Unit they had been fighting had lost their lives, Mirai had lost his ability to live without the aid of machines and Asitai signing papers every year to keep him hooked up. Thankfully, the school and Septimal Moon were paying for it. A small token of appreciation from Ritsu to the man who never came to meetings.


	4. Convictions

Dlbn: Another chapter! This one is dedicated to Ritsuka's birthday!

Nbld: One or two chapters left before Christmas so we're excited. Maybe one and an epilogue or two and an epilogue.

Dlbn: We'll see how we're feeling about it once tomorrow hits, so look out for another update

Nbld: This is our first chapter with a Review Corner! Thank you to Maki-Sensitivity for reviewing! Cookies for you!

Maki-Sensitivity: They're just so fun to write for in Careless that I just had to feature them in their own fic. I love these two so much 3 I was emotional writing this. I cried a few times honestly ^^"

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or anyone canon that appears here. It all belongs to Yun Kouga. I DO own Kunugi Asitai, Shenai Mirai, Asitai's assistant Kimiko, and any non-canon characters that appear in flashbacks. I make NO money off of writing in this category

000

 _Asitai was_ _pacing back and forth in the ER waiting room about five hours later with his friends passed out in chairs around them. They had one more left to fight, Ritsu's father, but they'd go after him with all they had later. A doctor had yet to come talk to him or shoo out his friends, three or four of which were snoring loudly. Only Aidien was still awake with him, eyes wide and unseeing as he tried to make sense of the fact that his Fighter was gone forever. His eyes followed Asitai as he walked around the room._

" _You're leaving a path in the carpet, Kunugi." Aidien informed, deadpan. "You should sit. You've been doing this for an hour."_

" _I've been waiting for five hours." Asitai stated, looking at his watch. "No one's told me a damn thing…they know I'm not family…"_

" _He has no family. Just you. They'll have to let you know. You look like a nut case…"_

 _Asitai gripped the bridge of his nose and sat next to the blonde. "I guess you're right, Aidien…how are you holding up…?"_

" _As well as I can…" He replied. "Nana's handling this better than I am."_

 _The now earless computer genius was asleep with the laptop on her lap. She jerked every so often in her sleep to keep it from falling off as her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose._

" _I thought there was something with the two of them…" Aidien muttered._

" _You and Kofai were never a thing, were you?"_

" _No." He stated. "She knows who I like…we never crossed that line…"_

" _But you know she loves you…"_

" _Loved."_

" _I used present tense for a reason, Aidien."_

" _I know."_

 _They sat in silence as the door to the ER opened and a doctor came out. Asitai scrambled to his feet._

" _Please tell me you're here for me." He all but shouted._

 _The others began to stir as Aidien managed to get up on his own two feet._

" _Depends." He replied. "Are you here for Shenai?"_

" _Mirai, yes, we are."_

 _That got the others up and out of their seats._

" _How is he?" Asitai asked, though part of him was afraid to receive the answer._

" _Is anyone here family?" The doctor asked._

" _He doesn't have family." Asitai replied. "I'm his boyfriend. We've lived together for a year and a half. Please,_ please _don't tell me you can't tell me anything…"_

" _Shenai is stabilized." The doctor said instead._

 _Asitai felt a wave of relief crash over him and almost collapsed, but Aidien supported him, tail thumping against his leg._

" _What does that mean?" Nana wondered, shutting her laptop and adjusting her glasses._

" _Is he awake?" Asitai wondered. "Can I see him?"_

" _I'm afraid it's complicated…we did some CAT scans. I've never seen anything like this."_

" _What is it…?"_

" _There is…in simple terms, there is a bridge connecting the left and right sides of your brain. A few of them actually, where neutrons fire across each way to transmit information."_

" _Pardon, sir, but we are not simpletons. No need to dumb it down for us." Gomon stated._

 _His Fighter shushed him with a hand over his mouth and a kick to his shin._

" _Go on. My apologies." She stated, glaring at Gomon out of the corner of her eyes._

" _There are several of these pathways between the two hemispheres." The doctor continued, rolling his eyes at the rich teen. "Simply put, neither side of his brain are firing neurons at a normal speed. We'll see a spike every few hours, but that spike means a couple dozen when there should be thousands."_

" _What are you saying?" Asitai wondered. "He's not dead…is he…?"_

" _He's breathing shallowly on his own, but he'll be on a feeding and breathing tube within the next hour or so."_

 _Asitai's hands flew to cover his mouth. "He's…what…?"_

" _To put it plainly, he's unconscious…and if he does wake up, it will take months, maybe years…"_

" _Don't tell me…" Asitai muttered. "Please…anything but that…anything but that or death…"_

" _I'm sorry." The doctor replied. "Your boyfriend's in a coma."_

 _Asitai slid to his knees, body falling out of Aidien's already weak grip on him. He could feel the warm liquid draining from his eyes._

" _No…there's…isn't there something you can do!?" He wondered, looking up. "Anything at all?"_

 _He could tell by the concerned, wounded looks on his friends' faces and the concern on the doctor's that he was a mess._

" _We'll do what we can…but he'll most likely need to be put in an isolation chamber until he wakes up, to keep him free of germs. He's stabilized now but that can change at any time. I suggest you go say your goodbyes."_

" _You don't think he's going to live…do you…?"_

" _His condition is the most severe I've seen in my career." The doctor spared no expense. "I understand he has no family, but you can't expect him to stay on life support and a bunch of machines forever."_

" _I'm…I'm his healthcare proxy…so I'll be the one to decide what does and doesn't happen to him, right?"_

" _From this point on, yes."_

 _Asitai nodded, looking at the floor again._

" _Tai?" Ritsu wondered, kneeling at his side. "You don't look good. Are you okay?"_

" _What do you think…?" Asitai muttered._

" _Physically."_

" _I'll…be fine…"_

" _Son, the color is completely drained from your face. I'm afraid you might pass out." The doctor informed._

" _That's nonsense." Asitai shook his head. "I'm just in shock…I'll be…fine…"_

 _Ritsu shouting his name was the last thing he remembered._

000

Half an hour later, Asitai stood outside the decontamination chamber near Mirai's room. He was wearing a clean pair of scrubs form the nurse's station, nurses' shoe bags covering his shoes, and one of the white gloves he'd been given by Yue. With Mirai's condition improving, she'd allowed him to take temporary lead on the case so she and her team could spend time working out their plan of action. Like the doctor twenty-seven years ago that had informed Asitai of his love's fate, she hadn't had much faith in him ever waking up.

He dialed a phone number he knew by heart and waited for an answer. It rang four times before a groggy voice answered.

"Asitai?" Ritsu wondered. "It's midnight…"

"I know…I'm sorry to call so late…" Asitai replied, voice almost gone with a dry throat.

"What's wrong?" Ritsu wondered. "I've only heard you like this before once…is something wrong with Mirai…?"

"No…he's…" Asitai laughed. "He's breathing on his own, Ritsu…his eyelid moved…"

"What?" Ritsu sounded fully awake now. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know…I was just talking to him and I checked his vitals and what not, and he started improving. They took the breathing and feeding tubes out half an hour ago."

"That's great news."

"I'm hoping he doesn't slip backwards after this. I can't handle this…Ritsu…I know you're a busy man and you're tired…but…I don't want to be alone…"

"We'll be there."

There was no question in his voice as he spoke, ending the phone call with those three words. Asitai pressed his hand against the glass, his forehead following suit. He was too tired to stand, to stay awake, but he had to. His secretary had gone to get him a drink and would be back shortly. She was in no rush to head home to her empty apartment, she had said, since her boyfriend was out on a business trip that she didn't think was really a business trip. He was surprised that this woman who was mostly a stranger to him outside of their professional career together was so willing to stay with him through the night. Almost as surprised as he had been that he'd answered her questions honestly earlier. Something about this anniversary…that was it…damn it, Mirai, even in a coma he was a romantic. Waking up from a coma three and a half centuries after they met. It was almost as if his body had planned this. Heh, perhaps it was Asitai's promise of marriage that did it. After all, Mirai had promised that the day before he fell into the coma. Just how fitting would it be if he woke up the day after Asitai promised the same thing?

"Here." His secretary handed him a water bottle. "I would have got you a mountain dew or a Red Bull, but you need to hydrate more."

"Thank you." He replied, opening the bottle and drinking a quarter of it. "Our friends are on their way."

"What friends?"

"They were here with me when he fell into the coma. Well, only half of them are left now…"

"What happened to the other half?"

"Moved away or dead." Asitai stated. "One of them had a kid before she passed. Car accident."

"So his father's raising him."

"No, Ritsu was." Asitai stated. "They both died after a car crash; him instantly, her in the hospital. I guess her last dying wish was to have Ritsu, her best friend, take him in."

"And he did so?"

Asitai nodded.

"What a peculiar bunch you and your friends are." She informed. "It seems misfortune follows you around."

"Hm?"

"Shenai…the woman you just told me about…any others who died…"

He nodded. "We were all expelled from the same school as kids." He laughed. "We met on a fluke. Overhearing each other talk about the old school. We joined together once we found out what we had in common. Our bonds are strong, but even the strongest bonds can be broken by death…"

"But apparently not by a coma."

"No, not by a coma."

000

 _Asitai woke up about forty-five minutes after he last heard Ritsu call his name. He was laying on a hospital gurney in the hallway of the ER. There were no privacy curtains surrounding him, but he figured they were for the more critical patients who were actually in rooms with three walls and not the hallway. Mirai was behind one of them. Asitai scrambled off the gurney before anyone could stop him, standing on Jell-O-like legs as he did so. The doctor who he had spoken to upon arrival at the hospital was the first at his side with some nurses. She hushed them all away._

" _You took quite a tumble." She stated. "You're lucky your friend was able to catch you before you hit your head."_

" _My…friend…? Oh, Ritsu…" Asitai rubbed his head. "Yeah, good thing…"_

" _How are you feeling?"_

" _Devastated, destroyed, ruined, broken…"_

" _Physically." Ritsu stated from across the way._

 _He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, watching Asitai like some twisted guardian angel._

" _I have a bit of a headache…"_

" _I'll get some aspirin. You're not allergic to any medications, are you?"_

" _None."_

 _She nodded, leaving him alone with Ritsu._

" _Where's everyone else?"_

" _Waiting room. They're all exhausted from today. It's been a long day."_

" _You're telling me."_

 _Neither spoke for a moment._

" _Did you go see him…? How did he look…?"_

" _They're going to put in feeding and breathing tubes in about an hour." Ritsu stated. "We haven't gone in to see him yet. You're the one he needs, not us."_

 _Asitai nodded. "Go with me…please…? I don't know if I'll last on my own…"_

" _You're so fragile, you know that?" Ritsu wondered, walking over and brushing Asitai's bangs out of his eyes._

" _I am not…"_

" _You never want to be alone."_

" _I've never done anything like this before…" Asitai muttered. "Rai…he was…he promised when this was all over…he was going to ask me to marry him…" He laughed. "Now he'll never get the chance…"_

 _Ritsu frowned, sleep tugging his eyebrows down and making his eyes look like two holes in the dirt._

" _Don't say that." He stated. "Celebrating our victory with marriage…how romantic."_

" _He's always been like that." Asitai stated. "I'm the one who says vaguely sexual things without meaning to, and he's the hopeless romantic."_

" _He's younger."_

" _So?"_

" _He's bound to be the more romantic, love at first sight type."_

" _What about you and Iyani? Do either of you take that role?"_

" _We're…we're not…like you two." Ritsu pointed out his fuzzy, twitching ears. "These aren't fakes."_

" _I didn't mean sexually, pervert." Asitai slapped his arm. "You're a thing, no? You were holding hands…"_

" _We've…we've kissed before, and we care about each other deeply, but we're not a thing."_

" _But you want to be?"_

 _Ritsu flushed._

" _Thought so."_

" _Shut up."_

 _The doctor returned with two white aspirin pills and a Styrofoam cup of water._

" _Arigato." Asitai took both pills in one gulp and downed the water to soothe his burning throat and ease the pills down._

 _She nodded. "You can go see him, if you'd like. Before the tubes."_

" _I'd very much like that…"_

" _Alright. We have a breathing tube and an oxygen tank on him now, but that's in the nose. The feeding tube will be in his arm, liquid nutrients, and the breathing one in his throat."_

" _You didn't have to cut him open, did you?"_

" _No." She shook her head. "Luckily, he was stabilized with the simple tube we have on him now. He can take in air with help, but breathing on his own is difficult."_

 _He nodded._

" _Room 1479C."_

" _Thank you."_

 _He walked slowly along the wall in a direction where the numbers increased. Ritsu fell into place at his side._

" _1479C." The bespectacled teen informed._

 _Asitai stopped and back tracked a room. How had he missed that? He took a deep breath, leaning on the wall._

" _Are you sure you want to do this?"_

" _I want to kiss him one last time…"_

" _Now who's the hopeless romantic?" Ritsu brushed aside one of the curtains so Asitai could go in. "I'll stand out here. Call me in if you need me."_

" _I will." Asitai moved towards the room._

" _And try not to faint again. I may not be able to catch your head this time."_

 _Asitai rolled his eyes and entered the room. An oxygen tank was sitting against the bed, held on by thick Velcro straps. Monitors beeped and buzzed around him as the curtain fell closed with a slightly audible 'whoosh'. He looked around the room, up at the clock, to the floor, and to a heart monitor. Anywhere but Mirai's face. He gathered himself and finally looked at the Fighter. He looked so peaceful lying there; wearing a hospital gown, covered in a thin white blanket, brown hair plastered to the white pillowcases behind him. A thin, plastic breathing tube was wrapped over his ears, a prong in each nostril. He was a little pale, Asitai noted, but that was probably from a lack of sun while he was stuck in this place all day._

" _Oh, Rai…" He knelt next to the bed and laid his head on the mattress. "I'm so sorry…we never should have accepted Ritsu's offer…" He didn't care that he had heard. "I was perfectly content living a normal life with you in our apartment…but then I wanted more…" He took Mirai's cold, unmoving hand in his and kissed his temple. "I don't know what to do, Mirai, I'm so lost without you…We thought being expelled would separate us…but we found our way back to each other. If that was possible then maybe…just maybe…you can find your way back to me from this, as well…" He laughed once. "I'm a fool…"_

 _He leaned down and placed warm, trembling lips to cold pale ones; as if his breath could somehow breathe life back into his other half. He moved Mirai's shirt to the side to see their shared name, Calmless, emblazoned on his flesh just below his collar bone. His name on his own flesh ached and burned. The pale, piano wire-like strand that was only visible to awake Fighters and Sacrifices thrummed in his fingers as it led from his heart towards Mirai's, but as he trailed his fingers down the thread, he found that the pulse ended instead of continuing on. With Mirai in his coma, their unbreakable bond was wavering. Asitai pressed his lips harder to his lover's._

" _Looks like true love's kiss doesn't work…" He muttered, pulling back and laying his head on the bed again. "Ritsu? You can come in if you'd like…"_

 _The curtains rustled as Ritsu walked in, his sneakers squeaking on the floorboards._

" _Hell…" The silverette muttered._

" _I know…"_

" _I've never seen him like this before." Ritsu admitted._

" _Neither have I, and I've known him eight years…"_

" _He was eight when you met?" Ritsu did the math._

" _A little young, I know, but he had skipped a grade."_

" _I see." Ritsu put a hand on Mirai's shoulder on the side where his name was. "I'm sorry, my friend." He leaned down to place a gentle kiss to an unfeeling temple. "You were never meant to be a casualty."_

" _A casualty insinuates that he's deceased, Ritsu…"_

" _No offense, but he may as well be." He stated. "I don't mean to be unsympathetic, but…"_

" _It's not like he's going to wake up any time soon." Asitai muttered. "I know…"_

" _Hai…"_

 _Silence reigned._

" _Ritsu?"_

" _Hai?"_

" _I know…Mirai and I never discussed this with anyone, b before you came around, we both knew we wanted to make a difference. Maybe offer shelter to kids thrown out by their parents due to their sexuality…or maybe to students of Seven Voices that were tossed aside like trash, just like us…we were going to be a team, work together…"_

" _Have you figured out what you're going to do?"_

 _Asitai nodded. "I've been thinking, a rare instance for me, I'm aware, but I was thinking while I was in that waiting room once I relaxed a bit. As much as I could for my name." He replied, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. "But yes, I know what I want to do."_

" _So which is it?"_

" _Neither, actually. I'll save that for when Mirai wakes up." Asitai stated with conviction. "I mean, the homophobe option. Once we take over, there won't be any more turning students away."_

 _Ritsu nodded. "No one will suffer our fates again."_

" _Right."_

" _So what did you decide?"_

" _I'm going to be a doctor."_

" _Say what now?"_

" _A doctor. I'm going to help people. People like Mirai…"_

" _A neurosurgeon…?"_

" _Right!"_

" _You know that takes a lot of time, correct?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _And it's difficult?"_

" _I'm no moron."_

" _And competitive."_

" _Where are you going with this?"_

" _They won't keep him on life support until you get the credentials and become a neurosurgeon."_

" _How did you…?"_

" _You want to help people like Mirai, yes, but most importantly, that means you can help_ Mirai _."_

" _Perceptive."_

" _I tend to be, but no one ever expects it of me. Not even Iyani."_

" _As long as I'm his proxy and continue singing the papers to keep him on, they will."_

" _Don't you think that's a bit selfish? Expecting him to suffer this way for you?"_

" _I'm not making him suffer for me. I'm doing this for_ him _. I want to help him…I want to see him smile, and hear him laugh, and feel his touch…" Asitai paused. "He's only sixteen, Ritsu, he's one of the youngest of the group. He hasn't gotten a chance to live yet, and his life has been stolen away by some broad that knew a spell none of us encountered before. Tell me, what's crueller? Him suffering that fate and knowing he won't be there for his friends and I as he slips into unconsciousness? Or not being able to feel anything while the hospital keeps him alive? I'm going to work in this hospital. Where I can be close to him. And while I'm doing that, I'll look for a way to reverse the spell."_

" _There isn't a way…"_

" _I'll make a way…I know it."_

" _You're determined."_

" _A wise teenager once told me you have to make concrete decisions and stand by them."_

" _Hell." Iyani muttered as the curtains fluttered and she and the others entered the room._

" _I used my bond." Ritsu explained. "I hope you don't mind."_

" _No." Asitai stated. "Keep what I said between us. I'll tell the others later."_

" _About the doctor thing?" Iyani wondered. "We could hear you when we were waiting in the hall."_

 _Asitai flushed._

" _It's a very noble thing for you to do, Asitai." Nagisa stated._

" _Thank you…"_

" _He doesn't look too bad." Nana informed._

" _No…but this is the last time we'll see him without tubes in him."_

" _We know."_

 _They stood in silence, silently saying prayers for the fallen Fighter while Asitai snuggled up against his leg. The doctor came into the room._

" _Children, I'm sorry, but we're going to put the tubes in now. Why don't you all go home, get some rest, and come back tomorrow, okay? I don't need any more visitors collapsing tonight." The doctor ordered them. "In addition to you, Asitai, we had three people faint when a code blue ran through."_

" _Did they make it?"_

" _The person who was coded? Yes, she's fine. But you kids all look drained, and it's late. Go home."_

 _The others slowly filed out, Ritsu at the lead. Aidien stayed behind with Nana and Asitai._

" _Come on, Tai." He ordered. "Let's let the doctors do what they have to do, okay?"_

" _Just…one more minute…" Asitai muttered, eyes welling again. "I don't want to…"_

" _We know." Nana gave him a gentle hug and pat Mirai on the hand. "Don't worry, Rai, we'll watch over him for you." She promised, before grabbing her laptop bag and leaving._

 _Asitai kissed Mirai one last time, lingering there until another doctor came in to shoo them away for the night._

" _Come on, Tai." Aidien offered, giving the redhead a hand. "Let's let them help him, okay? I'll bring you back in the morning, myself."_

 _Asitai nodded, taking his hand. "I love you, Mirai…never forget that…"_

 _He watched as he walked out with Aidien and the doctors surrounded Mirai._

" _He'll be fine." Aidien stated. "Look…what you plan to do with your life…? That's great, you know? You're a strong person, Tai, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, alright? I'd never be able to stand on my own feet like you are."_

" _Then why do I feel so dirty for it? If it's so brave and noble of me…"_

" _I know how you feel. You want to curse the world to the moon and back. You want to scream until you run out of breath and your chest aches and your lungs burn. You want to ask why, but you don't want the answer. You wish it was you there in his place instead of him. You blame yourself for following Ritsu and the others into this pit of hell we're calling our reality. You're running on pure adrenaline right now, but once you get back to the hotel, you'll collapse on the bed or to your knees, and you'll just let it lose. You're holding on strong for him, want to make Mirai proud, but no matter what you do or don't do, he'll always be proud of you." Aidien stopped him near the double doors and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing the redhead to look up at him. "I know how you feel about Mirai because, whether I'd like to admit it or not, that's how I felt about Kofai…my heart belongs to another, but she was my soulmate, as Mirai is yours. No one can take his place. There will always be a part of me that will be empty because she's gone, but you have the chance to get him back, and you're willing to take it. I could never do what you did…I'm only standing on my own feet now because I've watched you. I watched you fall apart and put yourself back together again numerous times today. I've never seen you so broken, and as your friend, it kills me." He informed. "You stay in my hotel room tonight. We'll order ice cream and pizza and mourn our Fighters. We'll scream and cry and do whatever we want and just let it out. Because tomorrow we have to pick ourselves back up and move along with the plan before it's too late. But for tonight, we'll let our emotions control us…just for tonight…"_

 _Asitai collapsed against him, sobbing into the blonde's shirt._

" _Why…just why…why did God have to take him…?" He whispered. "Why…?"_

 _Aidien let him cry until the nurses shooed them out into the waiting room. Asitai felt Nagisa take his hand and help the others walk him out of the building. A woman who had been there since he got there stopped them._

" _I'm sorry, dear." She stated, handing him a tissue and a candy. "I'll pray for you."_

" _Thank you…" He muttered. "I'll pray for you as well…"_

" _Thank you." She stated. "But there's no need. I will be alright. God's got my husband now…"_

 _Unable to comprehend, Asitai muttered apologies and let his friends led him out of the ER and into the night. It would be three weeks before Asitai got the courage to visit Mirai again._

000

"Try not to collapse. I might not be able to catch you this time." Ritsu's sleepy voice greeted.

Asitai turned over his shoulder to see the silver haired male he'd performed eye surgery on months before standing behind him. He still used his cane as he was told until his next check up with Asitai in three days. Nagisa was with him, rubbing the sleep out of her mauve eyes with an overly long sleeve from her white cotton pajama top. Even in her sleep, she tried to look like a Princess. Nana was typing at a keyboard on her tablet, standing there in just shorts and a tank top despite the cold weather outside and the AC inside. She smiled at him, adjusting her glasses.

"You all came…?" He wondered.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Nagisa wondered, yawning. "It's been forever since we've been here last…"

"Twenty-seven years." Asitai stated.

"That long?" Nana wondered. "I wonder why he's waking up now…did you do something?"

"Yue asked me the same thing earlier." He muttered. "I just talked to him and to Kimiko here about him." He replied. "My secretary, Kimiko. Kimiko, Minami Ritsu, Sagan Nagisa, and Saotome Nana."

"Charmed." She replied with a tired smile.

"As well." Ritsu agreed. "Any changes since we spoke?"

"No. His breathing seems to be settling now. Earlier it was more gasping."

"That's great." Nana stated, closing the case on her tablet. "Do they think he'll wake up tonight?"

"I don't know." Asitai replied. "They don't think so, but you never know."

The elevator dinged and a young lady Asitai hadn't expected to be there stepped out, a young raven haired boy and sandy haired teen male in tow.

"Gomon? Fujiwara? Ritsuka?" Asitai wondered. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Ritsuka's staying with me." Nagisa stated. "He's looking for Agatsuma."

"There's nothing that goes on with Septimal Moon that I don't know about." Mikado stated. "I know the three of us don't know your Fighter…"

"His boyfriend, Mikado." Ritsuka corrected. "Boyfriend first, Fighter second…"

Asitai smiled gently at the almost-teen's sympathy.

"Boyfriend," she corrected herself, "but in lieu of our fathers, I think that Ritsuka and I should suffice."

He nodded. "Heh…the team, back together again…"

"Minus a few." Ritsu stated. "Kaido isn't represented here."

"She's probably with Seimei…" Ritsuka muttered. "You said she vanished when he was at the school."

"He and Akame were distractions, yes." Nana stated. "We think it was Agatsuma and Chouma he really wanted."

Ritsuka shrugged. "Well he got her…did he need my Soubi, too…?"

Asitai blinked in confusion. _My_ Soubi? Well now…

"Pardon, but I'm confused…" Kimiko stated.

"Don't ask, it's a long story." Asitai stated. "Seimei is Ritsuka's brother. It's complicated."

"I see." She nodded. "And you all know the patient?"

"Only in Asitai's stories." Ritsuka stated. "I'm only twelve, I wasn't alive when he was awake."

"Neither was I. I'm fourteen." Mikado added.

"I'm eighteen." Tokino tossed in.

"I see." She smiled gently. "It's nice of you all to be here for your friends…"

Ritsu nodded. "Minus the few of us who are no longer with us."

"I've been told that your group is what's left here and the rest have moved or died. Condolences."

"Not our group." Mikado corrected. "Theirs. Three of us weren't alive."

"Which means three of you can go back to the school." Ritsu stated. "Aoyagi looks exhausted, and you two don't look any better."

"Tai's my friend, too." Ritsuka challenged. "I want to stay."

"If you think we should go, Ritsu, then we may take our leave…"

"You're welcome to stay." Asitai stated. "In this hospital, Ritsu isn't in charge. I am. It's your decision."

"Well, I _do_ have a mountain of chores and homework for tomorrow that father will insist I finish…" Mikado trailed.

"So go home. You're more than welcome to."

"Alright." She muttered. "Tokino, let's go."

"Hai." He agreed, yawning.

"Aoyagi, don't leave unless someone here does. We can protect you only if we're at your side." Mikado warned.

"I know." He replied. "Go, I'm fine."

She nodded and the unit departed.

"Give him our best when he awakens." Tokino stated, tapping his fingers on the hall as he followed his young Sacrifice to the elevators.

"Sweet kids…" Kimiko muttered.

Asitai didn't know whether or not she was serious.


	5. Miracle

Dlbn: Hey everyone, back for another chapter!

Nbld: It's almost Christmas Eve so we're gonna hurry and get this posted before that day hits. Review Corner! Thank you to Anonymous and Maki-Sensitivity for reviewing! Candy canes for you both, any flavor you want!

Anonymous: Thanks for pointing out that typo for me!

Maki-Sensitivity: It made me laugh, too. I couldn't resist XD

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Asitai, Kimiko, Mirai, and doctors and such in flashbacks. Everything canon belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category!

000

 _Three weeks after Mirai had fallen into his coma, a weary Asitai made his way to the fourth floor of Gora General Hospital where his boyfriend was located. His eyes burned from hours of staring at college medical textbooks and doing online classes while simultaneously helping Nana adjust the security system to the school to perfection. They'd won against the last Septimal Moon and were just starting to get people used to being ruled by a bunch of teenagers. Uniforms were abolished at the school, the strict visitor's code was being tightened for any holes or knots in the system, and the automatic expulsion rule that had started this mess was shredded in an assembly in front of hollering and cheering students and faculty. As he reached the fourth floor, Asitai stepped out of the elevator and made his way to the nurse's station._

" _Excuse me, I'm here to visit a patient." He informed._

" _Who is it, hon?" A bubble gum pink haired nurse wondered._

" _Shenai Mirai, age sixteen…I'm sorry, age seventeen today…"_

" _Are you family?"_

" _I'm his boyfriend and healthcare proxy." He dug his ID out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Kunugi Asitai."_

" _Ah, yes, I've heard great things about you from Yotsu-sensei."_

" _Who?"_

" _A female doctor in the ER? She said you might be coming by to see him."_

" _Oh…she remembers me…?"_

" _You and your friends made quite an impression on all staff." She replied. "Your boyfriend is in 495, sweetie." She handed back his ID. "You'll need to decontaminate. A quick shower in the showers right next to his room. You can put on a hospital gown and a rear facing yellow gown, gloves, and a helmet with a face mask. If he was here a little longer, I'd let you go in without one. You can take it off once inside, but no physical contact without gloves, alright?"_

" _Alright."_

 _Man what a process._

" _Arigato." He stated._

" _You're welcome, hon."_

 _He left down to the room. Warm water washed over him in the decontamination room. He sighed against the spray before ending the shower, drying, and dressing in the clothes he'd been told to. The helmet was bulky and annoying. He pressed a button next to a keypad on the wall and heard a buzz signifying that the nurse had received the call and opened the door for him. The sight in the room shocked him. The curtains had been pulled shut so he hadn't been able to see his boyfriend's fate through it. A breathing tube was shoved down his throat, the one with the oxygen tank was still in his nose, and numerous IVs were attached. He read some of the codes and noted that one was for nutrients, one was for some stabilizing medicine to be given ever six hours, and the rest were for various medicines and hydration. Machines beeped and whirred around him as he sat in a chair next to the bed and took off that ugly helmet. He smoothed out his red hair, which had knots in it from weeks of not bothering to take care of himself while he worked with his friends and studied for school. Mirai still looked peaceful there, even with all the wires and tubes attached to him. His hair was a tiny bit longer and he was less pale than before._

 _Asitai ran his fingers through the brunette's hair._

" _Mirai…?" He wondered. "It's me, baby…I wonder if you can hear me…?" He sighed. "We did it…we took over Septimal Moon…we don't have many survivors on either side. We lost Kofai and Katashi the day we lost you, but I won't go into details. The funerals are this weekend. Everyone's invited from the school…they're getting used to us and all the changes…sort of. Some of the staff and security have a problem with us, but they'll get over it. We're all doing schooling still. Private classes at the school for the others, and online classes for Nana and me. She's studying to be a programmer. Figures, right? Computer geek…I'm going to be a doctor…I decided what I want to do with my life to make a difference, Rai, like we talked about." A smile tugged at his lips. "I'm going to do everything I can to find a way to bring you back to me…and along the way, I'm going to help other people. I'm specializing in neurosurgery. I'll know all kinds of stuff about the brain and be able to all kinds of nerve based surgeries and procedures. I know it's a far cry from what we talked about, but I'm saving that dream for when you wake up. I know you'll wake up, Mirai…"_

 _He kissed his temple. "I know, no skin to skin contact, but you're my boyfriend. They can go to hell. It's your birthday today, you know. Did you know that?" He stated. "You're seventeen now. You're legal. Now I can't go to jail for this." He tugged Mirai's hair where his ear was. "Ha, remember…? I_ could _walk the next day. God, I'm a pervert, talking about this with you…Hey, Mirai…? When you wake up, I'm going to marry you. Just like we promised. After we win, which we did, you were going to marry me…now I just have to wait until you wake up and we can be married."_

 _He pulled a ring out of the hospital gown pocket._

" _I know everything has to be decontaminated, so I did that in that shower with myself and this. It's stupid, I know, but it's my promise to you, okay?" He slipped the ring on Mirai's left ring finger, the hand that didn't have the oxygen sensor on its thumb. "My promise that I'm going to marry you when you wake up. I'm your proxy. Your life is in my hands, just like mine was back then…we're a Unit. Soulmates. We can't be parted. I'll never find or try to find another. You're the only one for me, my love…you know…Ritsu isn't such a bad guy…and Aidien's a wise guy. Not like a ha-ha you're so funny kind, but like a real intelligent kind. He knew exactly how I was feeling. We mourned you and Kofai together that night. He's going to have some big time job one day, you watch." He stated. "Once he's over Kofai. He's still taking her death so hard…he's not strong like you and me. We resigned ourselves to our possible fates the day of the carnival, when we shook Ritsu's hand and joined him. But Aidien? I'm not sure he fully understood the magnitude of what he was doing. Little ass…speaking of little, Nagisa wants to be a doctor, too. Not neurosurgery, though. She's not sure what to specialize in. I feel like she'd be a better scientist. She always wants to know how and why things go or work the way they do. She should specialize in Fighters and Sacrifices. I'll tell her that later…"_

 _The machines were the only sound in the room as he caught Mirai up on what was going on at the school._

" _I love you, Mirai. Happy birthday. I'll be back this weekend." Asitai kissed his temple. "Please don't forget about me, my love…"_

 _He left, blowing Mirai one last kiss. The door shut ominously behind him as he hung up the helmet. Once he got dressed again, he walked back to the nurse's station._

" _I know I'm not supposed to be in there more than an hour, but thank you for not kicking me out." He stated._

 _He'd been in there about two and a half hours._

" _Of course." She stated. "He's…had no other visitors…"_

" _Our friends may stop by, but it's the beginning of the school year, you know?"_

" _I see." She nodded. "You look like you could use some rest yourself."_

" _Yeah, I guess so." He laughed._

" _You're eighteen, are you in college?"_

" _For neuroscience, yes." He stated. "Online only for now."_

" _If you need an internship, call the hospital's neuroscience department and ask for Doctor Kigaru." She wrote down a number and the name. "It would let you see him more and give you experience at once. Tell him your boyfriend is a patient here during the interview. I'm sure he'll be excited to meet you."_

" _Thank you, very much." He tucked the phone number into his pocket. "Oh…um…"_

" _Yes?"_

" _I decontaminated it in the chamber…but there's a ring on his finger…left ring finger…please don't take it off him…"_

" _I'll make a note of it." She smiled._

" _Thank you."_

" _You're very welcome. If you get the internship, let me know. I'm nurse Katsuko." She stated._

" _Thank you, I will definitely let you know."_

 _She smiled and nodded as he left. In the elevator, he read the piece of paper she'd given him._ Good luck, hon _was written in messy letters underneath it, along with her name. Asitai smiled. That internship would help him when he wanted a job here. He could only hope that Dr. Kigaru accepted it._

000

"You know, Kimiko, I never got your last name. I didn't hire you, and you never told me." Asitai stated.

"Oh, it's Shenai." She replied.

"Shenai?" He blinked.

"Like Mirai?" Ritsuka wondered.

The others had gone for food, leaving the neko and his sort-of mentor alone. Helping him was what little he could do to pay back Aidien for what he had done for him the night Mirai landed in his coma.

"Exactly like Mirai." She sighed. "That's my big brother…"

"You're…you're his sister? That little girl with the dolls in the backseat of the town car when we got expelled? That's _you_?"

"You seem surprised, Asitai." She stated.

"Of all places, I didn't expect to see you here…"

"I don't agree with what my father did. It was horrible. Mother divorced him three years ago when he started on her cousin, too. It's disgusting that she couldn't do that for my brother…I did some research as a teenager and found that my brother was here. I've done everything I can to be here with him. When you've left before I have, or it's your day off, I visit him."

"You're never on the log."

"I don't sign for a reason." She stated. "I didn't want anyone knowing and giving me sympathy. Yes, that's my brother in there, but I'm not unfortunate. He's the one they should be sympathizing for."

"Hai…"

"Do me a favor and don't tell your buddies, alright? They're an odd bunch."

Nagisa had spent twenty minutes arguing loudly with Ritsu about food while Nana had been showing Ritsuka some new outfit on her computer for Wisdom Resurrection; a game they played together. Kimiko had gotten to see the stranger side of the group in those twenty minutes.

"They're not bad people when you get used to them." Ritsuka shrugged. "My brother died because of him. Well, according to his will that said if he died then it was their fault. But I can't hate them like I thought I would. Seimei died because he's Seimei and he did things he shouldn't have done. I get along with everyone, Tai here in particular, but they're all okay, to a degree."

"I see…" She blinked. "I'm sorry about your brother."

"Thank you. It was two years ago. I'm okay now."

"You're a strong little boy, you know that?"

He flushed. "So I've been told."

The others returned, Nagisa and Ritsu still arguing. Nana sighed as she handed Ritsuka chocolate milk and a tuna sandwich he'd asked her.

"No change?"

"Now they're arguing over something else. I'm not listening." Nana handed Asitai and Kimiko their food.

"Any change?" Ritsu asked, breaking the argument with Nagisa to give Asitai some attention.

"His blood pressure has risen a bit, as has his pulse." Asitai stated. "But if you're asking if he's any closer to waking up, I'm not certain."

"Are we wasting our time sitting around?" Nagisa wondered. "I mean; he may wake up tomorrow when we're not here."

"If you think you're wasting your time, then go." Asitai snapped. "But I'm staying."

"Me too." Ritsuka nodded.

"As am I." Kimiko added.

"I didn't mean it that way, Tai." Nagisa changed her tone. "I mean that waiting isn't going to help him."

"Leaving won't either."

"I know…"

"Doctor?" Kimiko wondered. "Look…"

Asitai joined her at the window.

"I don't see anything." He stated.

"Left hand."

Ritsuka joined them, barely able to see over the bottom of the glass.

"His hand moved!" He announced to the others.

The other members of Septimal Moon rushed up behind them. Sure enough, his finger with the ring on it was twitching under an unfamiliar weight.

"Get a nurse. Now." Asitai ordered, breaking code and swiping himself into the room without decontaminating again or redressing.

Nana rushed off, being the quickest. Kimiko and Ritsuka followed Asitai in, Ritsu hobbling in last after Nagisa.

"Mirai?" Asitai wondered. "Babe, can you hear me? Move your finger if you can hear me!"

Mirai's eyelids fluttered as one of his fingers moved.

"I can't believe it…" Kimiko muttered through her hands that were covering her mouth.

Yue and a nurse came in.

"Alright, it is _way_ too crowded in here!" She complained. "Who are you people?"

"My friends." Asitai stated. "He's responding to me."

"You're aware that one of your friends is a child?"

Ritsuka's ears twitched. "He's an old friend of my dad's. Dad went home but I stayed here with Nagisa-sensei."

"Not my problem." Yue sighed. "Are you certain he is?"

"Do it again, Tai." Nagisa urged.

"Mirai…? If you can hear me, move your hand."

Mirai's eyelids fluttered again as his hand twitched.

"I don't believe it." Yue checked his eyes. "He's waking up…whatever your words did, Asitai, it's working. Try something else."

"Mirai…if you can hear me, babe, please…open your eyes…please…?" He leaned close to the Fighter, whispering. "I love you, Mirai…please…open your eyes for me…"

He watched as eyelids fluttered. One slipped open enough to let a slit of crystal blue shine through.

"Please, Rai…come on…you can do it…open your eyes…"

What sounded like a groan escaped Mirai's throat and his eye slid open a bit more. He made some kind of sound around the tube. He blinked in some sort of confusion at the redheaded doctor a few inches from his face. His left arm weakly twitched as he brought it up to rest his hand on the doctor's cheek.

"Tai…?" He muttered around the tube, the word muffled.

"It's me, baby…I'm here…I'm really here…" Asitai pressed his forehead to Mirai's, not breaking their eye contact. "You're awake…it's been twenty-seven years…"

"Mm…?"

"I don't believe it." Yue muttered. "He's still got the oxygen tank, but we can take him off the breathing tube."

She gently moved around Asitai to shut off that monitor. The machine stopped compressing. Mirai pulled in an audible breath through his nose as his eyes left Asitai's face to blink at the doctor in confusion.

"You have to hold still for me, alright, Shenai-san?"

He nodded. Asitai looked away while the doctor and nurse removed the tube.

"Take a breath. Gentle." She ordered as Asitai's eyes went back to him.

Mirai took a slow breath through his nose, chest rising and falling.

"Good…" Yue muttered in disbelief. "I'll keep the one in your nose in for now, alright?"

Mirai nodded.

"Mirai?" Asitai wondered, getting the brunette's attention back to him.

Mirai looked at him.

"Can you say anything…?" He wondered.

"You…got old…" A deep voice he wasn't used to hearing informed him.

Asitai laughed and practically flung himself at the patient.

"Doctor Kunugi!" Yue complained.

'Doctor' was the only word Mirai could get out before Asitai silenced him with their first real kiss in twenty-seven years. The Fighter relaxed into the kiss, a hand on Kunugi's neck pulling him closer.

"I'll be doing paperwork while you all get reacquainted…" Yue muttered, leaving the room with Kimiko's eyes boring into her back.

The nurse muttered something incomprehensible before leaving as well. Asitai pulled away from his lover to press his forehead against his.

"I thought you'd never wake up…" He muttered, tears silently falling. "But here you are…you're awake…"

"Y-Yeah…" Mirai muttered. "How long…?"

"Twenty-seven years." Kimiko answered.

Asitai pulled back as Mirai looked over at her.

"K-Kimi…ko…?" He wondered.

"He knows you?" Nagisa wondered.

She nodded, biting her lip. She made her way over and hugged him.

"I never thought I'd find you!" She wept into his hospital gown.

"You…looked for me…?" He wondered. "You both…?"

"I've been here since day one." Asitai admitted.

"I just started here ten years ago as his assistant." She said. "I didn't know who he was…but I knew you were here…"

Mirai laughed once. "She's my sister, Nagisa…" He informed the female doctor.

"Oh!" She grinned. "Well, how sweet."

"They're all here?" Mirai looked around the room. "I…don't recognize you…"

"Oh, I'm Ritsuka." Ritsuka explained. "Aidien is my father."

"Aidien…Aoyagi…?" He looked to Kunugi. "I guess he made it…"

"Kofai didn't."

"Neither did Katashi." Nana offered.

"Iyani did but she died in a car accident twelve years ago." Ritsu muttered.

"What's with the cane?" Mirai wondered, cocking a smirk. "You give bad acts the hook…?"

Asitai chuckled. "He was blinded…"

"By my brother." Ritsuka muttered, looking at his feet.

"But I did an experimental eye transplant of sorts. I'll let him know next appointment if he still needs the cane."

"Who else…did we lose…?" He wondered.

Asitai rattled off a list.

"Oh…" He coughed. "Can I get a drink…My throat…?"

"I'll get it." Ritsuka stated.

"I'll go with you." Ritsu offered.

Ever since he joined, the others had done everything possible to keep him for being killed until he could get Soubi back for protection again. Reluctantly, Ritsuka allowed the principal to follow him.

"I'm glad you're awake." Ritsuka stated. "Tai really missed you."

"Rit-chan!" Asitai flushed and called the boy by the nickname the Zero boys had called him often.

Ritsuka laughed and left.

"Welcome back, Mirai." Ritsu stated. "I'm sorry." He left as well.

"Why is he sorry?"

"His plans almost got you killed." Nagisa answered.

"You grew up nicely…"

"Thank you." She flushed.

"Ugh, is that my voice? I got old, too…"

"You're forty-three."

Mirai groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes.

"My whole life…wasted…" He muttered.

"Not wasted…" Asitai stated. "Years lost, but not wasted. You were alive…that's no waste to me."

"Aw." Nagisa cooed, sticking out her tongue at him.

He rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Nagisa, let's give them some privacy. They're got twenty-seven years to catch up on."

"Right." She hugged him. "Welcome back. We missed you."

"You, too, Nagisa. Thank you…" Mirai hugged her back.

"I'll come by later to see you one on one, okay?" Kimiko stated, kissing her brother's temple and giving him a hug.

"Alright…thank you, Kimiko…"

"Of course." She pat Asitai on the shoulder before closing the curtains for them and leaving.

Silence filled the room for a few moments.

"So…you're a doctor, hm…?"

"Y-Yeah…" Asitai stated. "Neurosurgeon." He sat on Mirai's bed.

"I always knew you had a brain hidden somewhere in that mess of hair." Mirai joked, running his fingers through it. "Though I'm disappointed it's so short now…"

"A male doctor with long hair isn't taken all that seriously." Asitai admitted. "You don't like it? I'm not too fond of your hair being so long either."

He held up a lock of brown.

"Damn, what the hell? Didn't I get a haircut in twenty-seven years?"

"No…"

"Shit…"

Asitai grinned. He kissed Mirai again, putting all of himself into the single kiss. He barely registered Ritsuka dropping off the bottle of water and saying they'd be back tomorrow. Mirai pulled the doctor closer by his neck. Asitai moaned, entangling his fingers into silky brown locks of hair as Mirai's tongue invaded his mouth ever so slightly. They only parted when the formerly comatose patient needed more air.

"I love you." Asitai informed. "I love you so much…"

"I love you too, Asitai…"

Another kiss.

"You kept me alive for twenty-seven years…you became a neurosurgeon for me…you never gave up on me…" Mirai muttered. "Why?"

"I couldn't let you go…maybe I'm selfish, maybe I knew you'd wake up one day. But something wouldn't let me give up on you."

"Love?"

"You really _are_ a hopeless romantic."

"Better than just being hopeless like you."

"Hey…"

Mirai chuckled. "Sukidayo, watashi no masut a…"

"So formal." Asitai kissed the tip of his nose. "Nagisa's right. We have a lot to catch up on…"

He gripped his end of the bond and let it light its way down. They both watched as the glowing ended on Mirai's skin, just on the outer layer of his skin. Laughing, Asitai pulled him into a kiss.

"Will you marry me…?" He muttered.

"Of course…" Mirai flushed. "I see you've already got a ring." He held up his hand.

"Your seventeenth birthday, I gave that to you. When I promised I'd stay single and wait for you so I could marry you when you woke up."

"You never gave up hope…"

"No, I didn't…" Asitai stated. "And here you called me hopeless."

Mirai laughed, pulling him for another hungry kiss.


	6. Rebuilding

Dlbn: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the last chapter of Calmless! Gah what an emotional journey it's been~

Nbld: Sap. Time for the Review Corner! Thank you to Maki-Sensitivity for reviewing! Popcorn and eggnog for you!

Maki-Sensitivity: I love Mirai to death. He reminds me of a friend of mine, honestly XD Yay! Reunions!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Asitai, Kimiko, Mirai, and doctors and such in flashbacks. Everything canon belongs to Yun Kouga. I make NO money off of writing in this category!

000

 _It was a year before Asitai was able to deliver some good news to his comatose patient. He'd visited him twice a week up until that point, but that was about to change._

" _Hey, Mirai." He happily greeted the lifeless teen. "It's your last year to be a teenager, my love, and boy do I have some news for you."_

 _He kissed the tip of the brunette's nose._

" _I've been accepted to complete an internship here!" Asitai announced happily. "Dr. Kigaru said if my internship goes well, he'll consider me for a position here!"_

 _Silence answered._

" _Did you hear that, Mirai? I'll get to see you more! Every day, not just twice a week. Isn't that great?"_

 _More silence._

" _Why, Mirai, I thought you'd be happier for me, my love. This is a good thing." He giggled, his happy laugh quickly turning into a defeated man's chuckle. "Oh, who am I fooling? I'm not happy. I mean, I am, but I'm not…I wish you were awake and could experience this with me."_

 _He checked their bond by gripping his end with his fingers. When the glow stopped a little over halfway down, he sighed._

" _I can't wait for you to wake up so I can tell you all the fun you're missing. Everyone will be happy to see you…"_

 _He sighed and stood, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek._

" _I love you, Mirai. I can't wait for the day I'm able to show you just how much again…"_

000

Two months after Mirai woke up, the brunette ran his fingers through his freshly cut hair as he took in a nice big whiff of fresh mountain air. He stood on the balcony of Asitai's seventh story apartment overlooking the mountain scenery of Gora. He'd been given the clean bill of health to leave the hospital from a very reluctant Doctor Yue and very persistent boyfriend of his. Now as he leaned on the wooden balcony railings, he had time to think. Asitai had taken a few weeks off from work and was just on-call so he could spend time with him; rekindling their romance before they married and introducing him to a world he barely knew. Their wedding wasn't for another month, but he personally couldn't wait. They had to make up for lost time, and sealing their relationship was step one of that. Asitai had promised to take him to Tokyo for a honeymoon so he could see their old stomping grounds and how it had changed around there. Ritsuka had offered them to stay in Soubi's old apartment rent free since he lived with his mother and Yoji and Natsuo were back at Seven Voices Academy as students under Nagisa, and to give him a call if they wanted to meet up for dinner one day or needed any help around town. He was a pretty good kid, considering what a tool his father had become and what a psycho his brother was, according to Asitai. He personally didn't want to meet this Seimei fellow. He seemed dangerous and uncontrollable.

The front door to the apartment opened, but Mirai ignored it. Judging by the sun setting behind the mountains, Asitai was just coming home early. He felt warm arms wrap around his middle a few minutes later and spotted red hair out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, love." Asitai greeted, placing a kiss on his neck.

"Hey, yourself." Mirai stated.

"Enjoying the sunset?"

"I am." Mirai stated. "You're taller than me again."

"That I am. As it should be."

"Should be?" Mirai turned in his grip to face him, wrapping his arms around the doctor's neck. "What do you mean?"

"I'm older." Asitai kissed his nose.

"Right." Mirai pulled him down into a kiss. "Be glad I'm as tall as I am with how long I was in a coma."

"I am." Asitai muttered something sexual in his ear, making the brunette flush.

"Tai!" He scolded.

Asitai laughed. "Do you know what today is?"

"No."

"Would you like to?"

"Hai, Tai."

"Rai, it's our anniversary."

Mirai chuckled at the rhyming. "Ah, so it is."

"Here." Asitai handed him a small box wrapped in gold.

"What's that?"

"A present." Asitai pulled from him and pulled him into the bedroom by the arms.

"Alright, alright."

Mirai sat on the bed as Asitai pushed him down to do and opened the box. Inside was a gold band with a diamond imbedded into it.

"What is this for?" Mirai wondered.

"I never got to properly ask you." He took the box and got on one knee. "Shenai Mirai, I'd make the whole world stop if it meant I had more time with you. I love you more than anything. When you fell into your coma, it felt like a part of me had died. I didn't know how to process it. But I found my purpose in you, and now I'm a Doctor. And now you're back with me…Mirai, my love, will you marry me?"

Mirai chuckled. "Of course, Asitai. I'd love you marry you."

Asitai slipped the ring on his finger before climbing up to kneel over him on the bed and push him gently into the bedspread. He leaned down and kissed the brunette, rubbing his body against his.

"I love you…"

Mirai flipped them so Asitai was on his back. "I love you, too."

He followed as Asitai slipped back up to lay his head on the pillows. Mirai placed kisses up the elder male's collar bone, making him moan and arch against him.

"Sukidayo." He slipped a hand under Asitai's shirt.

"Sukidayo." Asitai began undoing Mirai's belt.

Finally, after twenty-seven years of being apart, they were able to fall back into place as if nothing had happened. Taking over Septimal Moon almost separated them, but Asitai's determination to wake his boyfriend up and Mirai's unknown determination to wake back up for him brought them back together. The wedding wasn't far away, but for now, they'd just enjoy getting to know one another all over again. Just like they had thirty-five years ago in the principal's office of the school they now took part in running alongside what remained of their ragtag group of poorly trained Units and the children of some of their retired or deceased friends' children. Life was funny that way.


End file.
